Obsessed With Flowers
by daenabenjen42
Summary: Sometimes, finding one's family can be as simple as a picture of flowers... and as complicated. L/M, AU.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Obsessed With Flowers  
Author: DaenaBenjen42  
Characters: Luke, Mara, Ben, Leia, Han, Mara's OC Family  
Time frame: AU  
Genre: humor/drama/angst  
Disclaimer: I only borrowed them, patted them on the head, and sadly returned them to the great flannelled one. (In other words? No, I do not own Star Wars.)

It was a bright and sunny day on Coruscant when Mara Jade Skywalker finally suspected that something was off. She frowned, considered all the options, and turned her senses inward. It took exactly ten seconds for her to confirm it to herself. Yep. No question about it.

What happened next only confused everybody.

~*~*~*~

Luke was just coming in the door of their apartment when he smelled the peculiar odor. He frowned and sniffed again. It was a sort of pungent, but sweet, smell.

Wondering what it could be, Luke closed the door and silently followed the smell to the source.

Slowly, very slowly, he looked into the living room to see something that made his eyes widen in surprise.

Where did all those flowers come from?

Then his mouth dropped open in shock. Sitting in the midst of the flowers was his wife, wearing a flower-print sundress and reading a book on flowers. She also had an expression of utter happiness on her face, and in her hair were flower-shaped barrettes.

He stared for another moment before deciding to enter the living room. "Mara?"

Mara looked up at him, and smiled some more. "Hi."

"Where did all the flowers come from?" Luke asked, motioning to the flora that was all over the place.

Mara stared blankly at him. "Huh? We always have flowers." What was he talking about? She liked the flowers. They were pretty.

Luke stared at her, not certain what to say. "Uh... right. I'll go check on Ben."

Mara watched as he left, then went back to reading her book. "Pretty." She traced over the picture on that page, then flipped to the next one and studied it.

The names at the bottom in the small print were familiar to her. "Hmm..."

_Five year old Mara Jaden was helping her mother to set the table when the doorbell sounded._

_Widia, Mara's mother, turned and looked down at her daughter. "Go and see what daddy is doing in the greenhouse, sweetie. Dinner will be ready shortly."_

_Mara smiled, nodded, and went._

_Widia watched her go, then sighed and went to answer the door as the person rang the doorbell again._

~*~*~*~

_Mara approached her father, who was looking at a plant and taking notes on a note pad. "Daddy?"_

_Temaru looked away from the plant to see his daughter standing there with an inquisitive expression on her face. "Hi there, Mara. Wanna see?"_

_Mara nodded and came closer as her father pulled a stool over. She giggled as he picked her up and sat her on the stool so she could see the flowering plant better. "It's pretty, Daddy."_

_Temaru smiled. "Yes it is."_

_Then suddenly, Widia appeared in the doorway of the green house with a panicked expression._

_Temaru frowned. "Widia?"_

_"We need to talk," Widia said in a stiff voice as she came in hurriedly and lifted Mara off the stool. She bent down painfully with her stiff back and was able to peer into her daughter's eyes. "I want you to stay in here, Mara. Okay? Stay in here."_

_Mara nodded, slightly baffled at her mother's behavior. "Okay." She watched her parents leave the greenhouse, then turned to look at the flowering plant again. It was indeed very pretty._

Mara blinked the memory away and looked down at the book in her hands. It was the same plant, with the same blossoms that were so pretty.

Sighing, she closed the book, held it to her chest, and closed her eyes.

~*~*~*~

Luke wondered what was going on as he looked in on his three-year-old son to see him coloring in a coloring book. He entered the room and moved to sit down. "Ben?"

Ben looked up from the picture of the flower that he was coloring and smiled. "Daddy! Hi! Want to color?"

Luke moved closer to see, and frowned slightly. What was it with flowers today? "Sure, I'll color with you." He picked up a crayon and began to color where Ben pointed.

"Ben?"

"Yes, daddy?"

Luke took a deep breath to steady himself. "Why are you coloring flowers?"

"Momma gave."

"Ah. Okay." Luke shrugged and went back to coloring. That was all the answer he needed.

"Flowers pretty," Ben said idly.

Luke nodded. "Yes. Yes they are... You want the stem to be red?"

"Like red. Look like Momma."

Luke smiled. He couldn't argue with Ben on that point.

*****

They were coloring a little while when Luke heard music coming from the living room.

Luke glanced at Ben, who was still happily coloring, and got up to go find out what was going on.

"Daddy? Where you going?"

Luke turned and smiled at his son. "To talk to your mother. I'll be right back, son." Ben nodded and went back to his coloring. Luke smiled some more and then made his way to the living room.

As he rounded the corner from the hallway, Luke stopped and stared, dumbfounded at what he saw:

Mara had cued up music on the sound system and was dancing to it... in her underwear. In her... flowered underwear? Adding to his confusion, she was tossing flowers around as she sang: "Flowers! Flowers! I love flowers all day long! Give me flowers in the morning, flowers in the evening, flowers at supper time!"

"Mara?" Luke asked when the music finally stopped and he found his voice.

Mara turned to him, regarded his outfit for a moment, and frowned. "What?"

"Are you all right?" he asked as she came over to him.

"Of course I am." She dragged him into the living room and smiled at him. "Dance with me?"

Luke stared at her. She really wasn't all right, but he wasn't going to broach the subject again. "Sure. And then I'll start dinner, okay?"

Mara nodded. "Sounds good. But first, we dance." She reached out with her senses and cued up another song. Instead of what she had on before, this song was slow and perfect for dancing.

Luke smiled and held her closely as they danced. Whatever was wrong, he could wait until she was ready to tell him.

Dinner was, save for the flowers displayed prominently on the dinner table; a quiet affair that night in the apartment.

~*~*~*~

"Mara?" Luke asked the next morning as he looked in the closet at his clothes.

"Yes?" Mara said, as she came to stand beside him. She smiled at the pretty patterns.

"Where are my Jedi blacks?" He turned and looked at her in question.

Mara pulled a shirt and a pair of pants off the hangers and handed them to him. "Wear these."

Luke just looked at her funny. "But... those aren't mine. Where are my Jedi blacks?"

Mara's eyes widened. "Black? You can't wear black! You must wear flowers!" she said, and thrust the clothes at him. She glared at him for a moment, then went back to getting herself ready for the day.

Not wanting to upset her any further, Luke took the clothes. If she was going to insist on the flowered clothing, then he wasn't going to argue with her. He did wonder just where his clothes went, however.

Luke glanced at Mara again, wondering again what was wrong.

~*~*~*~

Mara was looking through the cabinets for something to make for breakfast, when a box of pudding mix caught her eye. She looked at it, wondering. Why was she so drawn to the idea of making pudding for breakfast?

Then she remembered: It was the only relatively good memory she had of Palpatine when she was a child.

_Palpatine smiled as he watched the little girl eat her snack. It was the first thing she asked for upon their arrival in the palace, so he complied with the request._

_Little Mara smiled guilelessly at him, got a heaping spoonful of pudding on her spoon, and flung it at him when he looked away for a moment._

_Startled, Palpatine stared at the child. "What was that for?"_

_"Fun," Mara said impishly as she continued to eat her pudding._

Mara blinked the memory away and considered the pudding another moment. Yes. That would do.

~*~*~*~

"Mara?"

"Yes?"

A sigh. "Why pudding for breakfast?"

"Because I wanted it."

A pause. "Ah."

~*~*~*~

Han opened the door to find his brother-in-law standing there... in the most ridiculous outfit he ever saw him wear. Naturally, Han did the only thing he could do: stare.

"Han? Can we come in?" Luke asked patiently, having expected that reaction.

Wordlessly, Han stepped aside and allowed Luke and Ben entry. Han closed the door and slowly turned around to face Luke again. "How? Why?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Mara wanted me to wear it. If I knew why, I'd tell you. But I don't."

Han's eyebrows went up. "What?"

"She did something with my clothes." He shrugged. "Anyway, can you watch Ben tonight?"

Han looked down at Ben, who smiled at him.

"Daddy looks pretty," Ben said brightly.

Luke wasn't the least bit surprised when Han suddenly burst out laughing. At least someone was getting enjoyment out of it.

Ben frowned suddenly and pulled at Luke's pant leg urgently.

Luke looked down at his son. "What is it, Ben?"

"Momma. Momma hurt."

Luke stared at him. "Hurt, how?"

"Luke?" Han asked, concerned.

"Just a minute, Han." Luke got down on his knees and looked Ben in the eyes. "How is she hurt, Ben?"

Ben considered his father for a long moment. "In the dark, she's scared. Of the bad man."

Luke hugged Ben to himself. That made sense. "It's okay, Ben. Mara's going to be fine. Thank you for telling me that."

"The bad man?" Han wondered as Luke let go of Ben and stood back up. At Luke's raised eyebrow, he got it. "Oh."

Luke nodded. "Yeah. Is it really okay if he stays here?"

"Yes, now go already. Ben will be fine." Han looked at Ben. "Won't you, Ben?"

Ben looked up at his uncle. "Color flowers?"

Luke snorted in laughter, causing Han to look at him in question. "Long story."

"Ah." Han smiled comfortingly down at Ben. "Maybe not flowers. Let's go see what there is in the play room, hmm?"

Ben nodded enthusiastically and took his uncle's hand.

Luke watched as Han led Ben to the play room, then quietly let himself out and rushed home to his wife.

~*~*~*~

Luke was just closing the front door of the apartment when it hit him so hard he nearly blacked out. A wave of emotion cascaded over him, jangled his nerves and caused him to stumble back into the door jam.

He stood there for a moment, to let the sensations of fear and terror roll over him. Once the moment passed, he shook his head to get his senses under control and frowned.

"Mara?" he called out.

The answering silence was deafening, and the roiling emotions didn't cease or calm.

Slowly, Luke began to search the apartment a room at a time, looking for her.

As he got closer to their bedroom, Luke's senses suddenly boiled over with a strong and urging feeling that that was the place to look. He looked in and saw... an empty room?

Luke entered the bedroom and stood there, puzzled as could be. _Where is she?_ he thought.

Then he heard it. The sound was so faint that he would have missed it, if it hadn't been so quiet one could hear a pin drop and be startled.

It was the sound of harsh, terrified breathing, and the longer he stood there, the more certain he was that the sound was coming from the walk-in closet.

Luke stretched out with the force into the vast unknown behind the closet door. Suddenly, his fingertips grew cold, and the hair on the back of his neck stood and iced over; he found her. In the closet.

He went to the door of the closet and opened it slowly, almost fearful of what he might find behind the door.

"Mara?" he whispered.

There she was, sitting in the far corner, turned away from him in an effort to hide. "Go away."

Luke stared, astonished. She sounded like a child, just with those two words. "I'm not going away, Mara." Slowly, he entered the closet and sat down on the floor so as not to startle her. "What's wrong?"

"No. Go 'way. He'll hurt me. Go away!" Mara started to rock back and forth while hugging her knees, shaking her head violently. "Go away! Please!"

"No one is going to hurt you," Luke said soothingly, wondering what she was talking about.

"He's going to find out! He will!"

"Find out what?" Luke asked as he inched closer to her.

And then, without warning, an image of a disfigured, angry man in a dark robe flashed through his mind.

Luke blinked several times, but the image refused to leave. And the more he saw it, the more he recognized who the man was. Palpatine.

"Go away," Mara cried again, bringing his attention back to her. "I'm not supposed to remember! He'll hurt me!"

[Remember what, Mara?] Luke asked silently. [Tell me. I won't tell him. I promise.]

Mara stopped rocking back and forth and listened. "You won't?"

[No. I won't. You can tell me. Please tell me.]

Mara raised her head off her knees and stared off into the distance.

"Mara?"

The answer he got was an image of a flower. And then, like the current of a river, memory after memory washed over him. A man helping a woman obviously with child down into a chair at the dinner table. A child, presumably Mara, being locked in a dark room by a disfigured man in a dark robe. Flashing lightning and pain. A man taking notes while studying a plant. Laughter. Terror. The child sneaking out of the house, hearing a noise, entering a greenhouse, looking at the flowering plant, being grabbed from behind, a funny smell, darkness. The man frowning at the dinner table. The child throwing food at the dark man, to bond.

Pain. Anger. Longing. Loneliness. Isolation. Loyalty.

As the waves of memory subsided, Luke shook his head and crawled closer to Mara. He put his hand on her arm.

"He made me forget," Mara whispered at the contact of his hand to her arm. "Over and over again, until I just let myself forget they ever existed."

Luke sighed and took her in his arms. "It's okay, now. I'm here, Mara."

"I know, Luke. I know." She lifted her head and smiled tiredly at him. "Never leave me?"

"I never will." Now that he was holding her, Luke felt something both odd and familiar. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Mara?"

"Yes?"

"Are you?"

Her smile was answer enough. "I was going to tell you."

"Before or after you made me wear this outfit?"

"Huh?" She pulled away slightly and looked at what he was wearing. "I really dressed you in that?"

Luke smiled wryly. "Yes. You really did."

She put a hand to her head. "Gosh, it's all a blur right now." Mara studied the outfit, and then smiled. "Well, I like it. Really brings out your eyes."

Luke groaned. "Mara, I am not wearing this all the time."

"I'm not saying you have to. Just that I like seeing you in colors every once in a while."

With that, Mara snuggled back into his arms.

They stayed there like that until Mara drifted off to sleep.

Luke glanced down at her, smiled, and then moved to get up. He picked her up, carefully exited the closet, laid her down on the bed, and tucked her in.

They would talk in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

*~*~*~*~*

Mara opened her eyes to find herself in a garden shrouded in darkness. She shivered, and examined her surroundings further, and turned her head to see... a rather impatient-looking five-year-old with red hair. Mara blinked. _Was she there earlier?_ "Hello, little one."

The little girl stopped tapping her foot and ran toward her. "Hi! I'm Marani Jaden!" She grabbed Mara's hand and pulled her along, Mara resisting the pull. "Come! I want to show you something!"

Mara stared at the insistent five-year-old. _Is that really me as a child,_ she wondered.

Marani stopped pulling, let go of Mara's hand, and looked up at her in puzzlement. "Of course I am." She started to walk away. "Are you coming?"

Wordlessly, Mara nodded and followed Marani to a structure on the other side of the garden from where they were. Mara squinted, trying to make it out in the half-light coming from inside. It... looked like a greenhouse for plants.

Marani stopped at the entrance and waited for Mara. She glanced up knowingly. "Go inside."

Mara slowly entered the greenhouse, and stopped in amazement when she saw the flowering plant on the table. "But..."

"Daddy and Momma worked on it for six months," Marani explained from behind her.

Mara tore her gaze away from the flower to turn and stare at the little girl. "Really? Why?"

Marani smiled at her. "It was a challenge. Did they need a better reason?"

Mara laughed. "No, I guess not. But why..." she trailed off and bit her lip at the memory that the flower brought to mind.

"...is it what you linked to them?" Marani finished for her.

"Yeah."

Marani sighed. "We snuck out of the house in the middle of the night, to get another look, because it was going to be sent away the next day. And... well, you know the rest."

Mara nodded absently, thinking about it. She did. "But if I hadn't snuck out..." she trailed off again, noticing that Marani was shaking her head. "What?"

"No," Marani said forcefully.

"Huh?"

"They wanted us. If I had been asleep in bed; if we hadn't snuck out, even more damage might have been done." Marani glared at her, then turned and walked out.

Mara spared one more look at that flowering plant, and then rushed to follow Marani, and was surprised to see that it was suddenly day out in the yard where it hab been night not two minutes previously. Mara paused, and looked around again. The yard, with it's bushes of flowers and green grass and various vegetables, looked much more inviting in the daylight than it did in darkness.

"Are you coming?" Marani asked impatiently.

"Wait just a minute, little one." Mara sat down on the grass and motioned for Marani to sit by her. "Sit with me?"

Marani pouted. "But I wanna show you Momma and Daddy."

"And I want to talk to you right now." Mara waited patiently as Marani considered her warily, and then came over and sat down in front of Mara.

"But..." Marani started to protest.

"Little one," Mara interrupted her, and gestured around to the yard with beautiful plants. "Sometimes one must stop and enjoy the pretty things."

Marani spared the yard a glance. "Yes, pretty."

"Tell me about our parents, rather than showing me," Mara requested, fixing the little girl with a stern look.

"Momma was pregnant," Marani blurted happily. "And Daddy..." She trailed off and looked away, chewing on her lower lip.

"And Daddy what?" Mara asked, curious as to what would make her younger self clam up so suddenly.

Marani shook her head, as if to clear it, and then looked at Mara again. "Daddy never liked it when I asked about the future. The... glow upset him."

"'The glow?' What kind of glow?"

Marani raised her hand and concentrated. Slowly, her hand began to glow faintly blue. "This glow."

Mara stared at her. She knew about the force at age five? "And why did it upset him?"

Marani stopped making her hand glow and shrugged. "He would never say. But I wasn't ever allowed to speak of it in front of people."

Mara's eyes softened. That explained some things. She opened her arms to the little girl. Slowly, warily, Marani entered the embrace. "Thankyou, little one." Mara closed her eyes and whispered in her mind, [I accept you, Marani. I accept that you're me.] She opened her eyes to find that Marani had disappeared. She was now hugging herself.

Mara closed her eyes again and let the tears fall. She was a carefree child once, before the kidnapping. Accepting that was harder than she ever thought possible, but with that acceptance came the knowledge that, somewhere out there, she had a family that missed her.

[Momma's alive,] came the faint child-like whisper. [I know she is.]

Mara stayed in the garden until morning.

*~*~*~*~*

It was early the next morning when Mara woke up from her dream, to find her husband dozing in a chair.

She gazed at him for a few moments before shaking her head and getting out of bed. Mara went over to him and cupped his cheek with her hand.

The contact was enough to rouse him from the light slumber. Luke blinked his eyes open and found Mara right in front of him. "Hi."

"Good morning, Farmboy." She smiled at him. "Why were you sleeping in the chair, hmm?"

Luke took a moment to yawn, and then smiled back at her. This was most assuredly his Mara. "Had an urging not to... you know..."

"Ah."

Luke sat up and took her in his arms. "Thank you for telling me what the problem was... I love you, Mara."

"I love you, too," Mara whispered. She noticed something on the floor and broke the embrace to see what it was.

The item was a datapad, displaying information that was eerily familiar. She stared at the picture. "Luke? Where did you find this?"

"I found it in the living room last night," Luke explained. "When I was cleaning up." He watched as she read through the information, and then her expression changed to one of being stunned. "Mara? What is it?"

She handed the datapad to him, pointing to the part that was relevant. "I have a family, see?"

Luke looked, read the information, and shook his head. "That's not your name."

"He changed my name," Mara said wryly. "From Marani."

"That's... not much of a change," Luke observed.

"No, it isn't. It was enough of one, though." Mara considered her words carefully, and then turned to look at Luke. "But it clears up one thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah... My mother is alive, even if my father isn't." Then something occurred to her. "Luke?"

"Yes?"

"Where is Ben?"

"Han and Leia's."

"Why?"

He just looked at her for a moment. "Do you really want me to answer that?" At her nod, he sighed. "You were acting funny. I wanted to find out why, but didn't want Ben to be here... I was right about that, you know. And he felt it before I did."

"Huh?"

"His exact words were: 'In the dark, she's scared. Of the bad man.'"

Mara stared at him, mouth agape. "Oh."

"Don't feel bad about it. That was when I knew mostly what was wrong. Mostly." Luke looked down at the datapad again and got an idea. "We could go." He held up the datapad. "I've never been to Naboo, and I'm sure Ben would like to see a new place."

At the system name, Mara shuddered. "I missed that part. It says Naboo?"

Luke looked again. "Yes. It does."

"Palpatine was from Naboo," Mara whispered. She sat on the bed and looked at him dismally. Then she noticed his clothes and started laughing. "Okay. But if we're going, you are not wearing those."

"I wasn't planning to," Luke muttered. He watched as she stood up and walked out of the room, a sense of purpose in her step. "Not my fault she hid my clothes."

Mara came back two minutes later with a box and set it on the floor in front of him. "Here. Sorry about that, Farmboy."

Luke took the lid off the box and stared at the dark clothing. "How?"

"There's an extra compartment in the hall closet," Mara said, trying not to giggle.

Luke looked up at her, then started to laugh. That made sense, in an odd way. It was the one place he never thought to look.

Mara noticed the flowered Jedi robe, picked it up off the floor, and studied it. "I want this."

At that comment, Luke just couldn't hold his laughter back any longer.

Mara looked away from the garment to see her normally composed husband holding his sides, laughing in hysterics. "What? I like it. It has a certain charm and is well-sewn." That just made him laugh harder. "Unless you want it." She held it out to him.

Calming down some, Luke shook his head. "No. I don't want it. Feel free."

~*~*~*~*~

When Han opened the door to find Luke and Mara standing there, he had an overwhelming sense of deja-vu. Only this time, it was Mara wearing the flowered Jedi robe. He still stared, though.

Luke sighed again. "Han?"

Han continued to stare at Mara.

"What?" Mara asked, innocently. She looked at Luke in puzzlement. "Why is he looking at me like that?"

They were saved from continued awkwardness by a small bundle of energy running through the foyer, and latching onto Mara's leg. "Momma! Daddy!"

Han looked down at an obviously happy child, shook his head, and stepped aside, again, to allow them entry. Then he closed the door and stood there.

Luke picked Ben up after Mara pried him off her leg, and was just turning around to thank Han for taking Ben for the night, when Han chuckled, and then outright laughed. Luke shared a knowing look with his son, and smiled at Mara. "Must be the robe."

"What?" Mara stared at Han, wide-eyed. She never seen him laugh like that before.

Han turned, looked at Mara again, and continued laughing.

"I was wearing it yesterday," Luke muttered. "Han? We'll be in the living room when you're done."

Han nodded, and they left him in the foyer. Laughing.

~*~*~*~*~

Mara was still confused when she entered the Solo's living room and sat down, Luke sitting beside her. "Why is he acting like that?"

Luke sighed. "Mara, I was wearing that robe yesterday."

"But..." She shrugged and touseled Ben's hair. "How are you?"

Ben smiled. "Got to pway with Jasa and Jaya! And Ani!"

"Did you have fun?" Luke asked, keeping an eye on Mara.

Ben nodded excitedly.

"That's good," Mara murmurred, remembering her dream.

"Momma?" Ben asked, looking at her seriously.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Is the bad man going to come?"

Mara stared at her son, eyes wide, then looked at Luke (who was boggling at that question), and then stared at her son again. Then she pulled him into her lap and hugged him fiercely. "No, Ben."

Luke broke out of his shock and pulled Mara and Ben into a group hug.

"The bad man is not coming." Mara assured him. "Not ever again."

"Ok," Ben said simply.

There came a silence from the direction of the foyer, and then Han entered the living room to find them in a hug. "Sorry about that."

Luke broke the hug and looked at him. "Uh-huh."

"What?" Han asked innocently, then looked at Mara and Ben. Mara was still hugging Ben fiercely.


	3. Chapter 3

"Is she all right?" Han asked when Luke entered the Falcon's main hold.

Luke nodded. "She seems to be."

"Seems?" Han looked at him with an expression that was hard to read.

"Well... She'll seem perfectly fine one minute, and the next will go and do something way off the charts."

"Oh."

Luke glanced at the flowered vest that Han was wearing and chuckled. "Speaking of off the charts... that vest looks good on you."

Han sighed and rolled his eyes at his brother-in-law.

~*~*~*~*~

Mara was dancing in another part of the Falcon, her eyes closed, letting the force guide her steps.

Around and around she went, in a calming, meditative rhythm.

Images of people floated through her mind's eye. People she was close to, served, loved.

Her parents.

Luke.

Ben.

The family she'd had before, the man who took her and made her his own in every way.

The family she'd gained in all the struggle. That she had nearly lost because she had refused to believe or even trust ever again to avoid the pain of another separation.

The man she loved.

The child she cherished, and the one yet to come.

The pain of indoctrination, of evil's mask settling down upon her.

Mara spun and turned, blocked and waited. Listened.

What would have happened if she'd stayed in the house, Mara wondered.

In answer to the unspoken question, a series of events unfolded in front of her:

A man in the heat of battle, calling out orders and not seeing the blow that strikes him down. That same man lying next to a woman in bed, a menacing figure holding a knife, and lashing out. That same battle again, only this time without the man, and this time they lose.

The woman finding the man on the ground after the battle and letting out a heart-wrenching cry of grief.

A funeral. The woman laying a familiar flower on the casket. Three young people joining the woman at the graveside.

The woman standing outside in the darkness, staring up at the night sky.

The woman being presented with military honors for the dead.

As the images faded, Mara opened her eyes and considered what she had seen. She really had saved her parent's lives by going outside that night. Her father was no longer alive, but her mother was.

What was she like? Would she want to see her?

Mara sighed, not wanting to think of all the uncertainties, and went to join her husband in the main hold.

~*~*~*~*~

Far away on Naboo, Widia stared up at the night sky, wondering if her daughter was even out there.

Even after all this time, she refused to give up hope.

"Mom?"

Widia whirled around at the voice of her son and smiled. "What is it, Torath?"

"Jaelle said you'd be out here, star gazing." He glanced up at the night sky and then looked at her again. "What are you looking for?"

"There's hope out there," Widia said simply.

"For what?"

Widia sighed. She really hadn't wanted to talk to anyone about this, least of all her son. "For Marani."

"Who?"

~*~*~*~*~

On the Falcon, Luke was meditating when Mara came in and sat beside him. "Feel better?"

"Define better," Mara muttered, as she glanced toward their sleeping child.

Luke glanced at her, slightly confused. "Tell me?"

Mara looked away, biting her lip. "He used me. He took me from my parents and he used me."

Wordlessly, Luke took her in his arms. "It's okay, Love. He can't use you anymore."

"That doesn't change it," Mara whispered, barely audible.

"No, no it doesn't." He considered his next words very carefully. "But... it is in the past and it can not be undone."

A soft cry escaped her lips, and she furrowed deeper into his embrace. "I loved him as if he was my father, and he wasn't, Luke. He convinced me that he was. And all along, my parents were alive on some distant planet, fighting for their freedom. And dying." Her voice took on a bitter tinge, and Luke held her, rocking slowly back and forth in an effort to comfort. "If he weren't dead already, the betrayal alone would be worth killing him for."

Luke didn't respond in words as she began to cry in earnest. Instead, he comforted her through their bond long into the night.

~*~*~*~

When Widia didn't respond to the question, Torath grew concerned and put a hand on her shoulder. "Who is Marani, Mom?"

Widia glanced at him, then looked away again and bit her lip to keep back the tears. "It's not important, Torath. Not now."

"Sure it is. Or you wouldn't be out here looking up at the stars... Who is Marani?"

Widia sighed, and let the tears fall. "Marani was... is... your oldest sister."

"Huh?" Whatever he had expected, it wasn't that. "Come again?"

"She was kidnapped before you were born," Widia said by way of explanation. "She was... the reason your father and I joined the planetary rebellion. To fight those who took her. For her."

"How come you never said anything about her before now?"

"It hurt too much, Tor." She finally looked at him and he saw her open tears. "I went to sleep that night confident that I had tucked my daughter into bed, and the next morning... she was gone. No sign of a struggle, nothing was missing from her room like her favorite doll, just... no Marani. We searched the house, the gardens... even the green house, but..." At this, Widia was unable to hold it back any longer. She sat down and sobbed.

Torath, unsure of what to say, sat down, pulled his mother into his arms, and let her cry. They stayed that way for a long while.

~*~*~*~

Jaelle had just finished putting the dinner dishes away when Torath and Widia came back inside together. She watched for a moment as her mother smiled at Torath and then quickly left the kitchen. "Tor?"

"Not now, Jae."

Jaelle glanced at him and saw the haunted expression. "Why not? What happened?" She closed the cupboards, turned around, leaned against the counter, and waited, eyebrows raised.

"Mom let some pent-up emotion out, is all. It's been a hard month." Torath knew that was not going to satisfy his sister and took a deep breath, waiting for the push.

Jaelle nodded, and then looked at him hard. "It wasn't just about Renna, was it? If it were, your eyes wouldn't look so melancholy."

He shook his head. "No, it wasn't about Renna at all... but you'll have to ask her about that. It's the reason she always goes outside after dinner and looks at the night sky."

Jaelle stared at him for a moment, and then did some quick calculating in her head. Her birthday was coming up... in two and a half months. So that meant... "Oh. That."

"Huh?"

She said nothing in reply, just motioned for him to follow as she lead the way to what was formerly their father's study. She rooted around for a few minutes before finding the box she was looking for.

Jaelle sat down and motioned for him to sit next to her on the old couch. "These are from before I was born. Mom and Dad took them down when I was six, just after you were born." She opened the box and showed him one of the pictures. "Mom explained that this was Marani, but didn't say what happened to her."

Torath took the picture and stared at the little girl depicted there. She had red hair, green eyes, and was smiling. "This is Marani?"

"So the story goes. After the war was over, I finally got to look at some official records about her, and... Mom was seven months pregnant with me when she was taken." Jaelle paused and smoothed out her younger brother's unruly hair.

"Stop that," Torath muttered playfully, swatting her hand away.

"Not as long as you complain about it, brother darling. Do you and your wife even own a brush?"

Torath rolled his eyes at her. "Alena likes my hair in all its unruly forms."

"Spoken like a true man."

Torath took the box from Jaelle and sorted through pictures, wondering. "Mom didn't ever mention..."

"No, Tor. Not ever." Jaelle glanced off toward the back of the house, and sighed. "But now you know." She motioned for the box and he gave it to her. Jaelle put the lid back on and got up to put it away.

Torath watched her for a long moment. "What do you think about this sister we've never seen?"

Jaelle turned and looked at him, eyebrows raised. "It was a sad event, Torath... Go see if mom needs help, okay?"

Torath shook his head. "Not tonight. I promised Alena that I'd do something and I haven't done it yet."

"Like?"

"Just some preparations for the baby."

"Ah."

~*~*~*~*~

Widia entered her daughter's room and sat down quietly next to the bed.

The young woman on the bed opened her eyes at the squeek of a floor board and smiled. "Hi, mom."

Widia smiled and reached out to brush hair out of her eyes. "You missed dinner."

"Don't mention food," she whispered, and cupped her hand over her mouth.

Widia took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she waited out her daughter's dry heaves. "I'm sorry, Renna."

Renna uncupped her mouth when they ceased. She shook her head slowly. "Don't be sorry, mom. It's not your fault."

Widia leaned on the edge of the bed and ran her hand along Renna's cheek. "Feel dizzy at all?"

"If I tried to walk right now, I'd look drunk," Renna said good-naturedly. "It'll pass, though. It always does."

The frankness of that statement made Widia smile.

"Had a dream a while ago," Renna went on.

"Oh? What about?"

"A red-haired woman that I've never seen before. She was at the door, asking if it was the right house... You were so stunned that you slammed the door in her face... It didn't make any sense."

Widia thought about the dream. A red-haired woman? "What did she look like?"

Renna frowned in concentration, trying to remember the details. "Pretty, like you. Older than Jaelle. She was wearing a green jumpsuit, and had a blond man with her who was a bit taller than she was."

"Was there anything else?" Widia didn't like to probe her daughter for information, but this was getting interesting.

"She feels familiar, but I don't know why. Almost like a friend I haven't seen in years." Renna slowly focused her gaze on her mother. "Don't slam the door in her face, okay?"

Widia smiled at the earnest expression on Renna's face. "Okay. If I see a red-haired pretty woman with a blond man in tow, I won't slam the door in her face."

"Good."

~*~*~*~*~

Luke sat in the cockpit of the Falcon. It was day four of their week-long trip to Naboo, and he was bored and had too much time on his hands. "Hi," he said to Han as he entered and sat down.

"Hi yourself." Han looked out the cockpit window to see the molted expanse of hyperspace. "Never get tired of seeing that."

"It's very blue," Luke observed.

"That it is," Han returned. He glanced at Luke. "Why are you in here instead of in the main hold?"

"Mara wanted some time alone with Ben," Luke calmly explained. "They're reading a book together. Think the title was something like 'Attack of the Extraterrestial Mussels from Planet Rhubarb.'"

"Ah... You're bored, aren't you?"

Luke nodded. "Yes... how are Leia and the kids?"

"When I commed them this morning, everything was fine." Han pulled at his vest. He still didn't like it, but didn't want to upset the former imperial assassin any further by not wearing it. "The kids built a robot that nearly set the palace on fire, but nothing out of the ordinary other than that."

Luke suddenly had a feeling and turned to look at Han seriously. "Do you have any avacados in the food supplies?"

Han thought about it, and shook his head. "No, I don't think there are any. Why?"

"Just this feeling I'm having. We're gonna be at Naboo in two days, right?"

"Right... why avacados?"

Luke motioned toward the main hold where Mara was reading a book to Ben. "Food craving."

"Oh."

~*~*~*~*~

It had been an uneventful couple of days as Han sat down in the pilots seat and prepared to jump back to normal space. When the signal sounded, he pushed the lever and the ship dropped out of hyperspace.

"That's the planet?" Mara asked as she looked over Luke's shoulder. "It's pretty."

"Mara?" Han asked.

"Yes?"

"Do I have to wear the vest out there, too?"

There was a pause. "Yes."

"Then I'm staying with the ship."

~*~*~*~

Mara stared out the window as Luke piloted the land speeder toward their destination, wondering what they might find. Or who.

"Luke?"

"Yes, Mara?"

"Do you think they'll like me?"

"Mara... Of course they'll like you." Luke parked the land speeder at the curb and turned to look at her. Mara was sorting through information on a datapad. He glanced at the large house they were stopped in front of, then turned his attention back to his wife. "Well?"

"The information is strange, but we're at the right place. I think." Mara keyed up some related information and sighed. "I just want to know a little more-hey!"

Luke picked the datapad out of her hands. "We're here, Mara."

She stared at him. "I don't know enough."

He stared back at her with a raised eyebrow. "You know everything you need to know. The people in that house are your family, and you haven't seen them in forever, and..." Luke let the sentence hang there as realization slowly dawned on her face and she got out of the speeder, purpose and determination in her bearing.

Luke shook his head as he heard his son giggle from the back seat.

"Momma silly," Ben said, with a big smile.

Luke laughed. "Yes, Ben. Momma's silly... come on." He helped Ben out of his harness, and together they followed Mara to the door.

He left the datapad in the speeder.

~*~*~*~*~

Widia had just sat down to finish reading a book to Renna, when there came a knock at the door. She glanced at Renna and put the book down. "I'll be right back."

Renna smiled sleepily. "It's okay. Take your time."

She watched as her mother left the room, and suddenly had a flash of that dream again. "I hope she takes my advice."

~*~*~*~*~

Widia opened the front door to find a woman and a man standing there. She stared. The woman matched the description that Renna gave her the day before. "Can I help you?"

The woman stared at her for a really long moment before blinking and throwing an irritated glance over her shoulder at the man. "Um... is this the Jaden residence? Are you Widia Jaden?"

Widia nodded slowly, wondering what was so important that Renna would have a dream about this person. "Yes, this is the Jaden residence, and I am Widia Jaden... Can I help you with something, miss?"

The woman hesitated again, and pulled out a piece of flimsy. "I'm your daughter."

Had it not been for the warning, Widia would have slammed the door. Instead, she just stared in shock. "I'm sorry?" She took the flimsy that the woman handed to her and stared at it, then at the woman, then at the flimsy again. It was a picture of a young girl in a dark outfit. Widia's eyes went wide as she stared at the photo.

It was Marani, a few years older than she'd been when she was taken, and Widia could see the similarities in the woman standing in front of her.

Widia stared, almost lost in the memories, as the realization dawned that her hope had been fulfilled and was standing in front of her on the doorstep. Then she stepped forward, took the woman in her arms, and hugged her.

When they parted, Widia had to wipe tears of joy from her eyes as she smiled and stepped aside to allow them entry. "Would you like to come in? I would love to hear your story."

As they as passed her, Widia finally saw the small boy holding on to the man's hand. He smiled a toothy grin at her.

Widia closed the door and led them to the common room.

In her room, Renna smiled and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Widia studied her guests as they all sat down in the well-decorated and restored common room. She could tell that they were a family just by watching them. The man and the woman, whom she now suspected to be Marani in truth, sat down on the couch across from her, and the little boy on the man's lap.

"So how did you find out?" Widia asked curiously. "That you have family, I mean?"

'Marani' frowned and shook her head. "That's... not important. That I'm here now, is."

"Why isn't it important?" Two could play that game, Widia thought. She didn't miss the silent glare that 'Marani' directed at the man, and that interested her all the more.

'Marani' took a deep breath, let it out, and then looked Widia in the eyes. "I was looking through a book on flowers a week ago. One of the images stirred a memory... and here I am." Again she turned and glared at the man. "No."

Widia cocked her head to one side and narrowed her eyes. "No, what?"

"Mara's not telling you everything," the man explained quietly.

"The bad man," the little boy said. "He hurt Mamma. She forget."

Widia frowned. "Forget? What?"

"Family," Mara explained as she absently rubbed the little boy's back in comfort. "I didn't know I had family that I'd been taken away from until after I saw the flower. It's hard to explain, really."

"Oh..." Widia stood up, and moved to pluck a holopicture off the wall. She handed it to Mara. "Did it look like this?"

Mara studied the picture. It was of a man sitting on a stool, taking notes and staring at a familiar plant. The one from her flashbacks. "Yes... I know this is going to sound odd, but... who was at the door?"

"Excuse me?"

"I was helping set the table for dinner, and someone knocked. You sent me out to the green house to get daddy, and were then in a stated when you came out there, and told me to stay." She glanced up to see Widia staring at her. "What?"

Widia wordlessly sank to her knees in front of Mara and hugged her again. "Welcome home, Marani, welcome home." And this time, she was absolutely certain.

Mara hesitantly hugged her back.

"Hey mom?" a voice called from the direction of the kitchen. "We brought your groceries in and... Oh. Have we interrupted something?" Jaelle stood in the entrance of the kitchen with a blonde woman who was wearing a flowered sundress.

Reluctantly, Widia broke the embrace, got up off her knees, and turned around to see her daughter and daughter-in-law standing there. "Thankyou, Jaelle, Alena. No, you're not interrupting anything. In fact, I'd like you to meet someone."

The two women came in and sat down. Alena did so gingerly, with a slight grimace.

"This is Marani-"

"Mara," Mara corrected.

Widia smiled. "Jaelle, this is your sister. Marani, now called Mara. Mara, this is your sister Jaelle, and your sister-in-law, Alena Naberrie-Jaden."

Jaelle stared for a long moment before regaining her composure and smiling. "Hi. Pleased to meet you."

Alena just nodded diplomatically before frowning and rubbing a spot on her rather large stomach. "Ow. Wish it wouldn't kick so hard."

Widia glanced Alena's way and smiled. "And just where is Torath?"

"Fixing up the baby's room," Alena told her, and then turned her attention to the man sitting next to Mara. "And you are?"

"Luke," he said simply, not wanting to cause a stir with his identity. "And this is our son, Ben." Ben smiled at her.

Mara was going to say something when Ben spoke up again.

"Bad dreams?" Ben had an expression of confusion on his face. "Momma? Help with bad dreams."

Mara turned to her son and cocked her head in question. "Who, Ben?"

"Don't know... She hurts and won't eat."

Widia's eyes widened and she stood up suddenly. "Excuse me. I have to check on someone."

Jaelle looked at her mother in surprise. "He's talking about Renna?"

"I think so."

Mara patted her son on the back and stood up. "Can I come with you? Ben seems to think I should."

Widia nodded and gestured for Mara to follow her.

As the two of them left the room, Jaelle looked over at Ben and smiled. "Thankyou, little man."

"For what?" a confused Luke asked.

"Ben may have just figured something out for us."

Luke glanced down at his son, who was smiling at him. "Right..."

~*~*~*~

Widia was just about to open the door to Renna's bedroom when the thought occurred to her that Mara might not be aware of certain things.

"Widia?" Mara asked, concerned.

Widia turned around and leaned against the door jam for a moment. "There's something you need to know before I open the door. Renna's been ill for a while."

Mara's brow furrowed. "How so?"

Widia didn't miss Mara's hands going protectively to her abdomen, and a suspicion began to form. "She's not contagious, and it's not physical. At least, that's what the healer said. I still don't completely believe that healer, but..."

"But what?"

"Some days are better than others." Widia turned around and opened the door.

As Mara got her first look at the bed-ridden Renna, she stared, frozen where she stood.

Renna was thrashing in her sleep, the sheets twisted around her body and sweat glistening on her face as she moaned. "No... No..."

Widia hurried to the bed and shook her awake, and had to step back when Renna sat up with a scream.

"Dad!" Renna blinked and looked around wildly before finally looking at Widia in astonishment. "Mom?"

Widia sat down and motioned for Renna to scoot closer to her. "It's okay, Renna."

"It feels like yesterday that the funeral was held," Renna whispered brokenly as she felt a dam burst within herself.

Widia held her close as she sobbed. "I know, dear heart. I know." She glanced over at Mara, who was still standing in the doorway, staring at them. "Come over here, Mara."

"Huh?" Renna asked as she followed her mother's gaze to see a woman timidly entering the room. She stared as she recognized her. "Who?"

"Renna, this is Marani, your sister." Widia paused and kissed the top of Renna's head. "Thank you for the warning, child."

"Warning?" Mara asked as she sat down on the end of the bed. "What warning?"

Widia smiled. "Renna had a dream earlier this week about a red haired woman and a blonde man showing up at the door and also that I would slam the door in your faces."

"Oh." Mara smiled comfortingly at Renna. "Hi."

As Renna's sobs tapered off, she had a flash of insight. "It'll be a girl."

"Excuse me?" Mara looked at Widia in confusion. Widia, for her part, was staring at Mara in disbelief.

"Your baby. It's a girl."

For a moment, silence reigned, and then Widia cleared the air. "You knew before she told you." Her eyes flashed from one daughter to the other.

Mara nodded, not even bothering to hide it. "Yes."

"Pain," Renna whispered, her eyes distant. "He hurt you... you served him. Killed."

Mara looked away from Widia's prying eyes. "It was a long time ago."

"I'm not judging you, Mara," Widia said softly. "But I would like you to explain. When you're ready. Not before."

Mara nodded slowly and looked at Renna. "You weren't trained, were you?"

"Huh? Trained for what?"

"The Force. I can feel it... in both of you."

Now Widia looked away and sighed almost inaudibly. "No. It wasn't safe. It was risky. So we didn't."

Mara stared at her, dumbfounded at that admission. "What do you mean, 'we'?"

"That is a story for another time, Mara." Widia glanced her way and saw the raised eyebrows. "I have to tell it now?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I was in the Jedi Agricorps as a plant biologist, which was how I met Temaru." When there was no recognition of the term in Mara's eyes, she continued. "The agricorps were where jedi trainees who were unsuited for politics or law enforcement were sent."

Mara stared at her in mild disbelief. "So you're a..."

"Jedi, yes. Not a knight, mind you, but Jedi trained. Renna? Remember those breathing exercises I taught you?"

Renna nodded. "I think so."

"Use them and let yourself go back to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."

"But this is getting interesting," Renna whined.

"Renna..." Widia gave her a look and Renna sighed before closing her eyes and slowing her breathing down.

Mara watched as Renna put herself into a healing sleep and then turned and looked at her mother. "But you said you didn't train her."

"Only breathing exercises. Very helpful in times of stress."

"How is that not training?"

"I didn't include the Force in the lessons."

"I don't understand..." Mara glanced at Renna, who was now sleeping soundly. "Ben said she's having bad dreams and wouldn't eat, but..."

Widia sighed. "It's not as simple as bad dreams. If it were, it would be easy..." She trailed off in thought, trying to connect the dots.

"You were saying?"

"Hmm? Oh, right. Sure, she's having nightmares and has been ill off and on, often instantly, but there's a reason for that. She didn't stop to grieve when the fighting was over."

Mara considered that statement carefully. "Didn't stop to grieve?"

"Yes. Instead of taking the time, she threw herself into the reconstruction efforts and helped rebuild peoples lives. I'm not sure when she slept during that time, or even if she did, unless she was utterly exhausted... The symptoms she's displaying now started just after the reconstruction was completed four months ago when she had nothing left to throw herself into." She smoothed out Renna's hair, trying to think for a moment.

"You're saying that she's suffering from stress?"

"This goes way beyond stress, really... I've been waiting for her to talk about it, but I'm not sure she knows consciously why she's been having headaches, getting dizzy, and becoming nauseous." Widia glanced once more at Renna before standing up and leaving the room.

Mara got up and followed her.

Out in the hall, Widia stopped and looked curiously at Mara. "What do flowered Jedi robes have to do with anything?"

"Huh?"

"I just got this mental image of Jedi robes with a flowered pattern." Widia chuckled and shook her head for a moment. "Strangest thing."

"I'll explain it sometime," Mara said evenly. "Not now."

Widia chuckled again before leading the way back to the common room.

~*~*~*~*~

Alena looked at the man sitting across from her with an interest born of knowledge. "So... When were you going to say that you're a Skywalker?"

Luke startled and fidgeted. "Um... How?"

Alena snorted and glanced at Jaelle, who was staring at her. "What?"

"Tact, Alena. It's good to observe it occasionally."

"So you don't see the family resemblance?"

"I wasn't going to even mention it until the subject came up in conversation." Jaelle looked at Luke in consolation. "Sorry, Jedi Skywalker, but my sister-in-law tends to speak her mind and get straight to the point. All that political training she had didn't serve to curb the habit much."

"Hey!" Alena protested.

"Well, it's true. It didn't."

"It's fine, really," Luke said calmly. He looked at the rather expectant Alena in question. "And how did you know?"

"I'm a historian and keep abreast of galactic politics. That, and your wedding WAS broadcasted far and wide, you know."

Luke was about to roll his eyes when Alena suddenly cringed in pain. "Are you all right?"

Alena shook her head and panted. "No. Jae?"

Jaelle turned and assessed her. "Want me to comm Torath or do you want to go home?"

Alena's expression eased as the pain dissipated. "Comm him. I'm not going anywhere right now."

Jaelle nodded and went to go comm Alena's husband, leaving Luke and Ben alone with her.

Luke glanced at Ben and noticed that he was staring at Alena. "It's okay, Ben."

"She hurt," Ben told him.

"Don't worry about it, Ben." Alena smiled at him. "This is a good thing."

"Hurt not bad?"

"Well... it's both good and bad. Bad that it hurts, but good that the baby is coming finally." She was careful to word it so he could understand, not wanting to scare him.

"Oh." Ben looked at his father. "Momma going to hurt too?"

Luke was saved from answering that because Widia and Mara came back into the room, Widia still smiling about something.

Widia glanced around and noticed that Jaelle was missing. "Where is Jaelle?"

"She went to comm Torath for me," Alena explained before she cringed again. "Ugh."

"Oh my! Alena, when did those start?" Widia moved to sit next to her and rubbed Alena's back soothingly to help abate the pain.

"Hours ago," Alena said when she could talk again. "They were far apart and really weak, so I didn't worry about it."

Mara shook her head and smiled toward Ben whimsically. "That's when you should worry."

"And your reaction to early labor was what, exactly?" Luke asked her.

"Not now, Farmboy."

Luke glanced at Widia who was looking at him quizzically. "She ignored it and went to an Intelligence Meeting."

"You are so going to be wearing the flowered robes later," Mara threatened, her eyes suddenly very fierce. "Finish that story and you'll be wearing them for life."

Luke blanched and turned to stare at her. "You brought them?"

"Sure. I wanted to be prepared."

Widia took that in amusedly as she turned her attention to Alena, who was looking at Mara with wide eyes. "Do you want to stay out here in the common room, or..."

"She'd make him wear flowers?" Alena wondered, aghast at the thought.

"Of course I would," Mara said smugly.

"Daddy looked pretty," Ben helpfully explained-- much to Luke's chagrin.

Alena laughed for a moment before her attention was taken again. "Uhg."

Widia frowned and glanced at the chrono on the wall. "That's two minutes."

Jaelle came back into the room and looked around. "Torath will be here shortly. After he's done boiling water, that is." Widia glanced her way in question. "He panicked. I told him to boil water and sterilize some sheets. By the time he's done with the water, he should be sufficiently calmed down."

"Ah. Good plan. Alena?"

"No, not out here."

Jaelle and Widia helped Alena up and escorted her to a bedroom, leaving Luke, Mara, and Ben in the living room.

Luke looked at Mara. "Prepared for what?"

"Any contingency. Formal occasion, picnic, you putting your foot in your mouth..."

"Ha-ha, very funny."

"Momma?" Ben asked.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Are you going to hurt too?"

"Huh?" Mara looked at her son in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"He means labor pains," Luke supplied helpfully. "Though how he knows, I have no idea."

"Oh." Mara sat down and looked Ben in the eyes. "Yes, there will be hurt, but there will also be joy, Ben. Just have to go through the hurt to get to it."

Ben nodded and then took on a serious expression. "Lady with bad dreams?"

"She'll be fine too. She's sleeping soundly now." To Luke, Mara said: "You ever come across any information related to agriculture in the Jedi order?"

"It was sketchy, but yes. Why?"

"Just confirming something. I'll tell you later."

"No, Mara. Not later. Now."

Mara sighed. "Widia was in something known as the Jedi Agricorps as a plant biologist. So was my father."

"Which might explain why you suddenly went flower-crazy."

"It might, at that." She studied the room in deep thought and noticed something odd. "This room is different. I don't know how, but it... just is."

"Different how?"

"Almost like it was restored from a mismatching photograph or something, but that doesn't make any sense."

Right then, an unfamiliar man came through the door leading to the kitchen, saw them, and stopped in his tracks. "Who are you people?"

Mara turned and saw a young man, maybe in his early twenties, with hazel eyes and auburn hair. She smiled at him. "You must be Torath... done sterilizing sheets already?"

"No. Again, who are you?"

"My name is Mara, this is my husband Luke, and our son, Ben. We were visiting with Widia." Mara smiled at him again. "Congratulations, by the way."

They could almost see the wheels turning as Torath processed through the information. "Marani? You're Marani?"

"Um... yes?"

"Where've you been all this time?"

Mara put her hand over Ben's mouth to keep him quiet and shook her head. "That's not important right now... and doesn't your wife need you?"

Torath blinked, nodded, and made his way to the back of the house without another word.

Mara removed her hand from her son's mouth and he looked at her funny. "Why you do that?"

"Information can wait for later, Ben. It really, really can."

Torath entered the bedroom to find his sister and his mother coaching his wife through a contraction. His mind was still on the matter in the other room, however. "Was that Marani in the common room?"

Widia spared him no attention until the contraction wound down, and then she looked at him. "Your wife is having a baby and that's the first question you ask?"

"Just wondering, mother."

"Yes, it is what you think it is, Torath," Jaelle sternly told him.

Torath nodded and then sat down on the bed next to Alena, who smiled at him. "Just a back ache, hmm?"

"I thought it was indigestion." As they all looked at her incredulously, Alena tried to be cute about it. "Really intermittent indigestion?"

"Um-hmm..." Jaelle sorted through supplies that had been stashed in the closet for times like this, taking note of what they had. "Okay. Looks like we're all set to do this. Alena?"

"Yes?"

"Has your water broken yet?"

"No. Should it have?"

Jaelle sighed and glanced at Widia. "Go talk to Mara, mom. I can take it from here. It'll be a long while as it is."

"If you're sure."

"Very."

Widia looked at Alena in question. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Go talk to your daughter, Widia. I've got the man I love by my side and Jaelle knows what's what. All is well."

~*~*~*~*~

Widia came back into the common room and sat down in a chair. She smiled at Mara. "It'll be a while."

"Shouldn't a medic or a healer be here?"

"Not really. Jaelle's a nurse-midwife and the medics wouldn't be here in time, even if we called them now."

"I have a question."

"Yes?"

"I can't figure out why this room looks wrong. I'm not sure how I know it's wrong, but it is."

Widia sighed. "Three years after you were taken, a Stormtrooper team destroyed what we left behind when we went into hiding with the resistance."

"A stormtrooper team? Why?"

Widia considered her answer very carefully before speaking. "Because of what Temaru was and I am. Because we weren't killed. There's a lot of reasons, Mara."

"They somehow found out you were Jedi?" Luke wondered.

"No, not quite. You see, when Palpatine rose to power, he got his hands on all the information that the Jedi had at their disposal. Personal records, mission assignments, where people were stationed and when and why... You name it, he had it." Widia waited for the two of them to realize the magnitude of what she was saying.

"But... why go after you? Why me?"

Again, Widia hesitated before answering. "Because our family is, was a powerful one."

"What?"

"Imagine the irony of making the multiple times great grand daughter of a Great Sith War heroine into a darksider... I'm not sure if that was the reason, but it was the best one I could think of."

Luke turned to Mara. "Did you ever hear Palpatine talk about anything like that?"

"No, but that doesn't mean anything, really." Mara looked at Widia for a moment, her eyes cool and calculating. "You knew?"

Widia shook her head in the negative. "Not until Renna confirmed it, actually. I suspected, but I wasn't certain... You asked about who was at the door earlier, remember?"

"Um..."

"It was a messenger from the local resistance, telling us that our cover had been compromised. How, they weren't sure, but that is what they knew."

"Now I'm really confused."

"Temaru and I weren't here as Jedi. We were here as teachers and biologists to study the plant life, when the Old Republic became the Empire. The only people who knew we were Jedi, was the Jedi Council, who assigned us here, and the Queen of Naboo, who had to know for security reasons... and Apailana died protecting the secret around the time you were taken, so it wasn't her." Widia took note of how Ben kept looking toward the hallway every so often. "Hmm..."

"You mentioned something about a Great Sith War heroine?" Luke prompted. "Didn't the Great Sith War happen 4000 years ago? How do you know?"

Widia pulled out an ancient Jedi Holocron and handed it to him. "Look and see, young Jedi. This is my family's Holocron. It dates to the Great Sith War."

Luke stared at it, then looked at Widia in shock. "But... but... Where did you get this?"

"My father gave it to me, and his mother gave it to him, and so on and so forth."

"Oh."

"Luke?" Mara asked, frowning.

"Yes?"

"Would you go get Han from the space port?"

"You know he won't leave the ship with that vest on, Mara."

Mara rolled her eyes. "Tell him he can take it off, then." She looked toward Widia, and then shook her head, as if she were going to say something she almost didn't believe. "That doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't?" Widia asked, probing gently.

"A friend in the shadows? From the past?" Mara glanced down at Ben, who was looking at her with wide eyes. "Ben?"

"Talk strange?" Ben turned to Luke. "She talks funny."

"Right." Luke looked at Widia, who was looking on in amusement. "What do you make of that?"

"Hmm... Be on the look out for someone who is standing in the shadows, whom you know, that kinda talks funny." Widia glanced at Mara. "Force warnings are tricky, but a warning is a good thing. Usually... What vest?"

"Mara made my brother-in-law wear a flowered vest because he made her mad."

"What? Why?" Widia looked at Mara in confusion. "Care to explain that?"

Luke stood up and patted Mara on the shoulder. "Still want me to go get Han? Or should I stay?"

"Go. And take Ben with you."

"Don't wanna go," Ben said defiantly. "Wanna stay."

Mara turned to her son and smiled. "I need some private time to talk with Widia. Okay, Ben?"

"Wanna stay. Wanna see baby."

"That'll be a while, actually," Widia told him. "And you can see the baby when you get back, okay?"

Ben nodded slowly. "Okay. Go with Daddy." He took Luke's proffered hand and they left.

Widia turned and looked hard at Mara. "You want to explain, or should I guess?"

"He laughed at my outfit, and Luke had been wearing it the day before. Those flowered Jedi robes?" She leaned back and rubbed her temples. "It's been a long week or so, but basically... I found out I was pregnant and then went... flower-crazy, I guess you could say."

"Flower-crazy? And why was Luke wearing flowered robes?"

"Because he always wears black and I hid his clothes." She shrugged. "It made perfect sense at the time."

"And what was it that prompted your going, as you put it, flower-crazy?"

"Memories." Mara looked away from Widia's gaze, unable to look her in the eye. "Of you, and Daddy Palpat, and..."

Widia blinked in surprise. "Daddy what?"

"He lost a holocube once and then Vader found it, and then there were boxes and boxes of potato chips." Mara shrugged off the memory and then noticed that Widia was looking at her with wide eyes. "What?"

"You called him 'Daddy Palpat?'"

Mara nodded somberly. "Yes... long after he convinced me that I was his. Not saying how."

Widia sighed. "I can guess. Jaelle had nightmares when she was little, and would be hysterical at times. She kept saying things like there was so much pain, and he was hurting her, and..."

"...and that someone was filling a hole in the wrong way?" Jaelle said from the entryway.

"Yes. How's Alena?"

"Fine for the moment..." Jaelle smiled at Mara. "I remember those dreams. Some of them, anyway. They were pretty bad."

Widia looked from daughter to daughter and sighed. "I should have gone after you, Mara."

Mara shook her head. "No. That would have been suicide. And it wasn't all that bad once I forgot."

Jaelle's eyes widened at that admission and she looked at Widia. "I'm going to go back to Alena now." Widia nodded and she left.

"Was it something I said?" Mara wondered.

"Yes. I want you to be honest and tell me everything, Mara. Everything about that time, whether you think it's important or not."

Hesitantly at first, Mara began to relate what it had been like in Palpatine's service. Widia listened and probed, piecing the puzzle together of what her daughter had gone through.

A little at a time, through candid and often brutal honesty, a bond formed and Mara felt something she hadn't felt for a long time. Peace.


	5. Chapter 5

~*~*~*~

Jaelle re-entered the room to find Torath sitting on the bed holding Alena's gaze as she breathed rythmically through a contraction. "That was very weird."

Torath glanced her way as Alena relaxed with a sigh. "What was?"

"How could it not 'be that bad' if it caused nightmares?"

"Jae? You're dropping us into the middle again," Torath pointed out gently. "Maybe start from the top?"

Jaelle stared at him a moment before moving to the other side of the bed to give the glass of water to Alena. "Here."

Alena shook her head. "I don't want it."

"You're sure you're not thirsty?" Seeing the expression of steely ire, Jaelle set the glass down on the nightstand. "It'll be here if you want it."

"I'm still waiting, Jaelle," Torath reminded her. "What was weird and caused nightmares and wasn't bad?"

"Mara was trying to pass off what ever happened to her as not that big of a deal." Jaelle shuddered, then composed herself somewhat. She noticed that Alena was shivering. "Are you cold?"

"No, but I am confused. Explain, please."

Jaelle sighed. "I had nightmares as a child, presummably because I was picking up on whatever what happening to her. I had them often, so I remember a little. Mom and Mara were talking about them when I came back from the kitchen with your water."

"What does that have to do with it not being that bad?" Torath redirected her as she began to take Alena's pulse, knowing that she always got to the point eventually.

"That's what Mara said. That it wasn't that bad, once she forgot, whatever that means, exactly." Jaelle took a moment to write down some numbers on a piece of flimsy, and then she glanced at Alena, and noticed that the shivering had intesified. "You sure you don't want the water?"

Alena rolled her eyes. "I'm very sure... What were the dreams about?"

"That's not important right now."

"Sure it is." At Jaelle's dumbfounded expression, Alena's eyes narrowed. "Take what you know and think about it, Jaelle. If YOU are finding it difficult to think about, why would one who lived through it find it easy to resolve or talk about?"

"Alena's right, you know," Torath said, startling her. "If it was so bad that you don't want to explain it... there would have been mental/emotional repercussions."

Jaelle glanced from one, then the other. "That makes sense, I guess. Alena, how do you know about behavioral theory?"

"Part of my education... uhg... centered on it." Alena closed her eyes, going with the pain.

"Were you timing?" Jaelle asked her brother, who nodded.

"Two minutes that time, last one lasted sixty seconds."

Jaelle wrote that information down the flimsy pad and they waited as Alena breathed through it. She noticed that when the contraction was over, the shivering was less than it had been. "Hmm..."

Torath leaned over to Jaelle. "Is the shivering normal?"

"It's transition. Shouldn't be that long, now, I think." Jaelle smiled at him. "Go take a breather and have a cup of caf."

"You're kicking me out?"

"Yes. Go." At his confused expression, she patted him on the shoulder. "I'm going to do an exam, and Alena would have demanded you go do something if I didn't."

"Oh." He turned, held Alena's hand for a moment, and then left the room.

"I wonder if he got the baby's room done," Alena said fleetingly as Jaelle put on some rubber gloves and moved around so she could examine her.

Jaelle laughed. "Probably not. But most of it was done, right?"

"I think so... Well?"

"Just like I thought. Almost there." Jaelle glanced up and saw the quizzical expression. "What?"

"What you said about Mara trying to brush it off as nothing. You know why she was doing it. I know it and so do you."

"And I'm still confused by it."

~*~*~*~

As Widia and Mara were talking about her past, a memory or two came to mind for Mara...

Palpatine smiled as he watched the little girl eat her snack. It had been the first thing she had asked for upon their arrival in the palace, so he had complied with the request.

Little Marani smiled guilelessly at him, got a heaping spoonful of pudding on her spoon, and flung it at him when he looked away for a moment.

Startled, Palpatine stared at the child. "What was that for?"

"Fun," Mara said impishly as she continued to eat her pudding. She blinked as the spoon as ripped from her hand. "Huh?" Marani looked up and saw the deep frown turn into a scowl. "What?"

"There will be none of that," Palpatine hissed as he grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the table.

"But I'm not done!"

"Yes you are." There was a coldness under his voice that she'd never heard anyone use before, and Marani protested by trying to pull out of his grip.

"Let me go!"

He dragged her to a closet and pushed her in, then shut the door firmly and left her there without another word.

Marani banged her hand on the door once, waited, and then sat down in a corner of the dark closet. The confused girl sniffled in the darkness. "He's mean."

~*~*~*~

Marani stared at the man as he towered over her, his face infused with anger. "Who are you? Where's momma and daddy?" With no warning, her world was lost to pain as lightning shot from his fingertips. When the pain faded, she slowly looked up at him. "Wha?"

He closed his eyes, and suddenly her mind felt like it was on fire. Images and sounds from her life flew around her as the pain intensified, and she screamed.

Later, after the pain subsided and her mind no longer burned, the child blinked her eyes open to find... a man she did not know sitting on a chair looking at her. "Hi."

The man nodded to her. "Hello, Mara. You really shouldn't run around like that. Accidents will happen."

"Did I fall?" Mara asked as she sat up on the bed and looked around the sparsely decorated room.

"Yes."

Mara tilted her head to the side for a moment, studying him. "Do I... know you?"

"You do, child. My name is Palpatine, and I'm your caretaker."

"Palpat?" Mara tried to say it, but it came out wrong. She looked at him hopefully.

Palaptine smiled at her. "It's a start." He held out a hand and she gingerly took it. "Are you hungry, child?"

Mara nodded eagerly. "Yes."

"Then let's go see what we have in the kitchens, shall we?"

And just like that, she was his.

~*~*~*~

Widia sat back and thought about what Mara had just told her. "It felt like your mind was on fire?"

Mara nodded. "That first time, yes. It burned something fierce and afterward, I didn't remember who he was... And every subsequent time that I started to remember, there was always pain." She stopped for a moment, remembering that time in the hospital, just after she and Luke had gotten engaged. She'd had a flash of something, and then pain. "That explains it."

"Explains what?" Widia noticed that Mara was staring at the carpet in concentration.

"About five years ago, I had an attack of some sort, and afterwards somehow forgot that The Emperor had been dead a long time." She shook her head slowly, trying to sort it out. "What ever brought it on, I still don't recall clearly."

Widia quietly considered the options, and then cocked her head to one side. "The attack was painful?"

Mara nodded. "Somewhat."

"That could have been a memory trying to resurface." Widia stopped a moment and thought about it some more. "Wait... five years ago? Renna was on a reconstruction project in the southern hemisphere around then. The project leader told me that she woke up screaming on more than one occasion. You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?"

Mara looked away, wincing. "Something bad happened. If Renna asks, I'll talk to her about it." She was saved from further questioning by Torath coming out from the hall and plopping himself in a chair. "Uh..."

"Jaelle kicked me out," he said sullenly.

Widia chuckled a little. "I kicked your father out of the labor room at least once, Tor, so that really isn't a surprise." Torath just rolled his eyes at her.

~*~*~*~*~

In the shadows, an old woman stands, clutching her tattered robe to herself, and mumbling. She watches as the denziens of the space port go about their daily routines and assorted business, unconcerned that there is someone watching them.

A voice speaks up behind her, she turns... and smiles in recognition.


	6. Chapter 6

The shadows enveloped her warmly, like an old, comfortable, cloak. As she stood there, looking out at the activity of the busy spaceport that was at once familiar and different, she felt a presence near that she couldn't identify.

She pulled her tattered robe closer, uncertain why the presense felt so... familiar? Then a tenative voice spoke up from behind her. "Hello?"

Slowly, she turned to look... and smiled in recognition. "Jedi?"

Luke stared at her. "Vima?"

"Jedi! Is good to see you! Vima know!" Vima-Da-Boda looked down at the young boy who was openly staring at her. "Little Jedi."

"Daddy know?" Ben asked uncertainly when he found his voice.

"Yes, Ben, I know her. Vima, would you like to come with us? The Falcon is over there." He waved a hand in the general direction of the spaceport.

Vima nodded, and they set off for the Falcon.

Chewie was working on something underneath the ship when they arrived, and he waved them on.

As they boarded, Luke helped Vima walk up the ramp. "Han, you'll never guess who we found."

"I won't?" Han asked as he passed by the boarding ramp with a coil of wire. He stopped and stared at the woman in the tattered robes. "Vima? What are you doing here?"

"Family," Vima said simply. She smiled at Luke. "Thankyou, young Jedi."

"Family?" Luke asked. "You have family on Naboo?"

Vima nodded. "The force, it drew me here. Said family was here."

Luke wasn't sure how to reply to that, and instead turned to look at Han. He stopped short upon realizing something was missing. "Oh. Nevermind. You already did."

"Didn't want to get it dirty," Han muttered. He glanced at Vima. "Family, hmm?"

Vima nodded. "Force said there was need. Don't know what need is."

"Han? Mara said you could go back with us if you wanted."

Han shook his head. "No. I'm working on the ship. Tell her I said thanks, though." He looked at Luke quizically. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Lots. On top of everything else, her sister in law is having a baby."

"Huh? As in pregnant?"

"No. As in right now. She's in labor." Luke almost chuckled at the flummoxed expression on Han's face. "Still want to stay on the ship and do repairs?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Luke turned and herded Vima and Ben back down the ramp. "See you later, then."

Han waited until they were out of sight before snorting to himself and returning to repairs.

~*~*~*~

Widia watched as Mara took a surrepititious glance at Torath as he sat there, stony-faced. Finally, she sighed. "Would you just talk, already?"

That got Torath's attention and he looked over to see Mara looking at him. "Hi."

"Hi... we didn't exactly get to meet earlier," Mara started to say, and then stopped herself and looked away. "It's not important. It can wait."

Torath's frown deepened in confusion. "What can wait?"

"It can wait," Mara said again, hoping against hope that something, anything would save her from having to really talk to him. "I can't believe she was right."

"What are you talking about?" Widia asked, more confused than Torath was.

"A friend told me a long time ago that I had family out there somewhere. I... really didn't believe her. Having Luke around was enough for me." Mara shrugged and looked down at her hands. "It's all so much to take in, you know?"

Torath glanced at his mother, who nodded subtlety, and they both moved to sit next Mara, on either side.

Widia put her arms around Mara and let her lean into her. "It may be a lot for you, Mara, but I'm glad you're here. I am glad you found your way back here. Back home. Back to me."

"And me," Torath said, nudging her knee. "And I didn't even know about you until two days ago." Widia looked over Mara's head at him with a small smile, and he shrugged bashfully.

The moment was broken a minute later when a loud grunt was heard, followed by the tiny, mewling wail of a newborn.

Widia smiled at the torn expression that swam across Torath's features, then she motioned for him to go. "Go on. Your family needs you."

Jaelle was just coming out of the hallway when Torath brushed past her so fast she nearly got whiplash. She looked after him for a long moment, and then shook her head, and tried not to laugh.

Coming out into the living room, Jaelle sat down in a chair and looked at her mother and Mara. "They'll need a minute, don't you think?"

Widia nodded. "I think so. How is she?"

"Alena's great and the baby... is a girl." Jaelle waited a moment before smirking at the calm acceptance. "I'm surprised it wasn't twins, actually."

Widia stopped and looked at her funny, while Mara looked up from her hands in confusion. "What?"

"Just what I said. I wouldn't have been surprised in the least. Alena's family has a history of twins."

"They do?" Mara asked, intrigued by the notion. In the back of her mind, a thought formed. She quashed it, but the suspicion remained. It wasn't possible... right?

Jaelle nodded slowly, watching as her mother slowly stood up. "Go on, Grandma. Go see."

Widia turned to Mara, who waved her off. Widia nodded, and left to go see.

Mara leveled a look at Jaelle. "Is it always like this around here?"

"Well, no. But then, usually we aren't bringing babies into the world in the guest room or having missing family members turn up out of the blue."

"Funny."

"You asked." Jaelle let the silence hang there for a minute and studied Mara. "I didn't know what to expect..."

Mara looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't know what to think when I read the records. About you." Jaelle shook her head in thought, trying to process what she wanted to say. "You were this enigma. Sure there were little things like your birth date, and your eye color, and pictures, but... that doesn't tell a whole lot about a person, really."

"It doesn't let you know them?" Mara offered.

Jaelle nodded. "Yes."

"You're one up on me, you know. I don't actually know when my birthday is." When Jaelle glanced at her with an expression of incredulity, Mara shrugged. "I was five. I didn't have it memorized yet."

"Oh." Jaelle got up out of the chair and left to find something. Mara frowned, wondering what that was about. Jaelle came back a moment later with a hardcopy folder and handed it to Mara. "Anything you want to know is in that."

"Why do you have these?" Mara asked, opening the folder to find a holo of herself as a child standing next to... her father as he was making notes and looking at a plant with familiar blossoms. "I remember that."

"I figured that it might come in useful at some point." Jaelle smiled as Mara picked through the file, occasionally stopping to study a holo. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Some." Mara looked up at her and smiled. "Can I keep this?"

Jaelle nodded. "I'm sure mom won't mind."

"Huh?"

"I copied that file from hers. She'll never miss it."

Mara chuckled. "Ah." She let the silence linger for a moment, then glanced at Jaelle. "It wasn't easy, you know."

"Hmm?"

"What you heard me say earlier, about... well, you know. That. It wasn't easy, learning imperial ways. It's just that... I forgot everything else." Mara shrugged and looked away. "I only mention it because I sensed the confusion you had."

Jaelle moved to sit next to her. "You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"Yes I do."

"Would you please look at me?" Jaelle waited for Mara to look at her, them smiled comfortingly. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Marani, and you need not explain anything to me. I just didn't understand how you could brush something like that off."

"It's over and done, and it happened a long time ago."

"But you still carry the scars."

"Scars are part of life. Stories to tell, though sometimes painful."

Jaelle couldn't argue with that.

"And..." Mara stopped at the sound of the door opening, and was treated to the sight of her husband helping an old, frail figure in a well-worn and tattered robe into the living room. "...Luke?" She glanced behind them and saw her son following along happily and breathed a sigh in relief.

"What in the world?" Jaelle wondered.

Luke helped the person in the robe to a chair and helped them to sit down, then he turned to face Mara. "You did say to watch for a person standing in the shadows, you know."

"I did?" At his raised eyebrow, she realized that she had, in fact, said exactly that. "Oh right. I did... Is that who I think it is?" She heard plenty about his mystery jedi woman that spoke backwards, but had managed to miss meeting her by less than a day.

Luke nodded. "Yes. Mara, this is Vima-Da-Boda. Vima, this is Mara..."

"Jedi's wife, she is! Vima happy to meet, she is." Vima looked out from under the hood of her robe, eyes glittering with interest. Her gaze settled on Jaelle, and she stared. "Family? Here? After so long?"

Jaelle frowned and looked at Luke. "What is she talking about?"

Luke shrugged. "She said she came all the way here from Dantooine because the Force called her here. And then something about family."

Widia came back into the living room just then and saw the figure in the cloak. "All right... what'd I miss?" Vima's head turned at the sound of her voice, and she struggled to stand. Widia saw the struggle and rushed to help her. "Steady, now, old timer. No need to rush." And then Widia got a good look at the old face under the hood and stared. "Aunt Vima?"

Vima stared back at her. "Widia?"

Widia tore her eyes away from Vima to stare at Luke. "Where'd you find her?"

"Spaceport, exactly where Mara and Ben said she'd be." He shrugged and sat down next to Mara, Ben getting into his lap.

"Oh." Widia looked back down at the woman in her arms and smiled. "Well now. Wasn't expecting that."

"Happy accident?" Vima asked brightly.

Widia snorted, then stifled a laugh. "There are no accidents, happy or otherwise. Come on. Let's see about getting you cleaned up, hmm?"

The four of them heard Vima protest as Widia was helping her out of the room: "But Vima safe this way!" Widia, wisely, said nothing to protest that assessment.

Ben turned to his mother. "Baby?"

Mara smiled at him. "What about the baby, Ben?"

"I see?"

Jaelle laughed and stood up. She held out her hand to him. "Come on, little man. I'll take you to see the baby."

Ben looked at Jaelle timidly, then looked at Mara in question. Mara nodded, and he got off Luke's lap. Ben took hold of Jaelle's hand and went with her.

Alone in the living room, Mara turned to Luke. "Where's Han?"

"He excersized his right as the husband of the Chief of State and chose to stay on the ship when I told him what was going on here." Luke shrugged, then smiled at her. "Personally, I think he's enjoying the quiet."

"How can it be quiet with a wookiee around?"

"Probably makes less noise than three kids."

"Cute."

"Thought it was." He nudged her arm, and she glanced up at him. "Feel better now?"

Mara smiled at him. "Somewhat, yes. Though, now... I think I have to have a talk with Renna."

"Why?"

"She has dreams. Had dreams. Bad ones. About me."

"What do you mean?"

Mara was silent while she gathered her thoughts, then looked at him again. "When I went with Widia to check on her, Renna blurted something about the baby, which we hadn't gotten around to announcing yet. She said it was going to be a girl."

"While she was awake?"

"Yes... and then Widia told me that, five years ago, when Renna was an active part of the reconstruction efforts, the project leader told her that Renna woke up screaming from nightmares more than once. For months... And you know what happened five years ago."

Luke nodded. "Vividly... Do you think she needs training?"

"Jaelle and Torath do, too. Jaelle had dreams as a child, and I don't know about Torath, but it would make sense."

"Yes, it would." Luke paused, something just now occurring to him. "We're having a girl?"

"You're the Jedi Master, you tell me," Mara told him playfully.

"All right, then I will." Luke reached out to her in the force and probed lightly. He saw it, yes, and was surprised at the accuracy. Before blinking it away, he felt something else. A suspicion. No, a question. Unasked, but there. He blinked open his eyes and smiled at her. "Girl, it is... What is this about a suspicion you're having?"

"Huh?"

"Something about twins and family lines?"

Mara blinked at him in surprise. "Oh. It's something I need to look up for later."

Luke wordlessly pulled her data padd from his jacket pocket. "Had a feeling you might need this."

Mara took the data padd from him graciously, and waited for it to boot up. "Thanks." She'd have told him more, but hadn't wanted to give him hope and then have it not be true. "Now, let's see..."

~*~*~*~

Widia stood in the doorway, watching her son and daughter-in-law sit on the bed with their newborn baby girl while Vima looked on, and couldn't help but be reminded of her husband...

Temaru sat on the edge of the bed holding their infant child while Widia laid back on the pillows and stared at the ceiling. "Widia?"

The concern in his voice made her blink and she took a deep breath before speaking. "She should be here. Here with us."

Temaru looked down at the dozing infant in his arms and sighed. "I know."

Widia looked at him, the pain still raw in her eyes. "Is it my fault she's not? Were we evil?"

"Widia, love... it's no one's fault. Not mine. Not yours."

"She wanted to be here so much, you know? Marani even picked out a blanket for the baby. For Jaelle. She wanted to be here, and she missed it." Tears began to make trails down Widia's cheeks as she let Temaru hand the baby to her, and she held the child close.

Temaru reached out to dry her tears and she looked at him. "It's not your fault that she was taken, Widia. Understand? You are not evil. We are not evil. The people that took her are evil for doing such a thing."

"I know that, Tem. I just..."

"Feel guilty?"

"Yes."

"I love you." He waited for her to look at him again. "Marani being taken Force knows where doesn't change that." Temaru gestured for the baby and she carefully passed her back to him. "Now, Jaelle and I are going to have some bonding time while you, dear wife, take a nap."

"But-"

"No buts about it." The serious tone in his voice made her smile and she sat up to kiss him softly on the cheek.

"I love you too, Temaru Jaden."

The baby cooed, breaking the moment.

Widia looked down at the baby and smiled at her. "Yes, you too, little one."

Widia blinked the memory away and moved to sit next to Alena and Torath on the bed. "Can I hold her?"

Alena smiled and handed the baby to her. "We named her Novami."

"Vima really like that name," Vima told Alena again. Alena smiled at her and nodded.

Widia chuckled softly. "Pretty name."

"Just like our little girl," Torath said proudly.

Widia held her a moment, looking down at the infant cradled in her arms, before glancing up at the two of them. "Do you mind if I take her out into the living room?"

"Not at all. After all, Mara hasn't seen her niece yet." Alena's eyes glinted with amusement as she spoke, her tone pleasant. "It's high time she did, hmm?"

Widia nodded. "It's high time for a lot of things."

Alena looked at Torath after his mother left the room with Vima in tow and sighed. "There's more there."

Torath nodded. "Always is."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Luke watched as she pressed her finger to the screen at times, sorting through information, and wondered where this was going. What did she suspect, and why? "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Not until I know for certain." She glanced at him with a teasing smile.

"Is it animal, fruit, or mineral?"

Mara rolled her eyes at him, and then turned her attention back to the data pad. Something was nagging her, but she couldn't figure out what it was. Finally, she put the pad aside and closed her eyes, meditating on it. A moment or two went by, and then she got a mental image of Leia... except it wasn't, not really. The woman had the same features, same set in her jaw, but it wasn't Leia.

Opening her eyes, Mara picked up the padd again and looked some more. Finally, nearly ready to give up on the wild bantha chase, she came across a holo of the young woman from her meditation. The woman was young, maybe in her early 20's, and staring up at her with an unreadable expression... and she looked like Leia. "I've seen her before."

"Can I see?" Luke asked gently, as she passed the padd to him. "Isn't this the woman whose portrait Leia has in her apartment? The one hanging on the wall?"

Mara thought about it, remembering the nagging feeling she'd gotten the last time she'd been in the Solo's apartment with Jaina, and nodded slowly. "I think so... Look, it could be nothing-"

"No," Luke interrupted her with a smile. "It's not just nothing. It's something."

"I didn't want to say anything until I had something firm. It could just be a coincidence, or..." she was silenced with a kiss. When he pulled away from her, she just looked at him. "What was that for?"

"You were babbling. I love it when you babble." Luke handed the data padd back to her. "We'll figure out what this means, Mara. And thank you."

"For what?"

"Being you."

At that moment, if she hadn't already married him, she'd have done it again in a heartbeat.

The moment was interrupted by an excited toddler joining them on the couch. "I see baby!"

Mara laughed and pulled Ben closer. "You did, huh?"

Ben nodded fervently. "Little and red."

"Just like you were," Luke told him.

"Momma's baby be little?"

Mara guided Ben's hand to her abdomen. "She's right here, Ben. And yes. She will be little."

"Little now?"

"Yes, sweet heart. She's little now, but growing all the time. Just like you."

Ben concentrated on where his hand was for a long moment, then smiled up at his mother. "I feel. Good feel."

Luke noticed Widia standing in the entrance to the living room and nudged Mara's arm. Mara glanced up, smiled, and motioned for her to come in.

Widia sat down carefully next to them on the couch and paused, looking down at the baby. Then she looked at Mara again. "I'm not sure if you remember it or not, but... you were excited about getting a brother or sister. You know... before."

"Widia?" Mara asked, confused.

"And you weren't here then," Widia continued. "...and I felt like an awful mother because... well, just because."

"Momma wasn't here?" Ben asked, looking sharply at his mother. "Why?"

Mara frowned at Widia before glancing at Ben. "I was... away, sweetheart."

"The bad man?"

"Yes, Ben. The bad man."

"With pudding on his face?"

They all paused, Widia and Luke first looking at each other in awkward silence, and then both turning to Mara and staring at her. "Pudding?"

"I was five," Mara said defensively.

Widia chuckled softly at that. "He deserved it." She handed the baby to Mara. "Here. Meet your neice."

Mara held the infant girl for a long minute, contemplating the small life in her arms that felt fresh to the world. New, as it were. Then she glanced up at Widia and saw the tears. "What is it?"

Widia smiled through the tears. "Everything is right."

"What do you mean?"

"Just something I needed to see, finally. You, like that." Looking away from Mara, Widia noticed an activated data pad on Mara's knee. She frowned at the old familiar holo of a Senator. "Studying Nubian politics?"

"Not exactly," Mara answered non-committaly.


	7. Chapter 7

Five years ago...

A young woman awakens from a nightmare in the dead of night, a scream on her lips. Slowly, as the minutes pass, reality comes sliding back into place as she struggles to get control of her rapid breathing in the gloomy darkness of her tent.

In the darkness, she shakes her head slowly as images from the dream of an unfamiliar woman float through her mind's eye like icebergs on a strong current. In pain, in the dark, in the blinding light. Terrified, yet trembling and scared.

It is not the first time in recent months that she has woken out of a sound sleep to find herself screaming, but every time feels like the first and it's always the same: some one is in pain, and scared, and trembling, and alone.

Cocking her head to one side as she listens to the world outside her tent, she feels something else: an enveloping feeling of warmth. Almost as if someone had wrapped her in their arms and were holding her securely. Someone she trusted.

Shaking her head again and dismissing it, she swings her feet over the edge of her small cot and moved to get dressed, knowing that sleep, were she to try again, would be long in coming. Besides, there was much to do, and nothing would be accomplished by laying on her cot waiting for sleep to come.

Stepping out of her tent into the cool night air, she looked around and noticed a man sitting at one of the tables that had been set up to act as a communal area, and he's drinking a cup of caf. Sighing, the woman joins him after getting a cup of caf for herself.

"What are you doing up, Samir?" she asks, her eyes on the table.

"Guard duty," Samir tells her, his tone light and conversational. He waits a moment, then, after a sip from his cup: "That was loud, by the way."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"But…" trailing off, he studies the stiffness in her posture. Something is going on, he knew, and it has been for months. But there are lines when it comes to personal stuff, and this is one of those. "All right. Then we won't... for now."

She glares at him. "That's not funny."

"Wasn't meant to be, Renna… We all have nightmares, you know."

Renna looks away, staring out into the early morning darkness. "I know... I just wish I understood them."

"I could help you understand them. Tell me?"

"No."

Samir reaches across the table and touches her hand gently. When she turns back to him, he smiles comfortingly. "Then I won't force you. But if and when you want to talk about it, I'll be there to listen... Do you understand?"

Renna, nearly swayed by the compassion in his eyes, nods slowly. "I understand."

"Good..."

Now...

"Just something I needed to see, finally. You, like that." Looking away from Mara, Widia noticed an activated data pad on Mara's knee. She frowned at the old familiar holo of a Senator. "Studying Nubian politics?"

"Not exactly," Mara answered non-committally as she looked down at the baby in her arms. She had to agree with her mother and admit that something felt right, even if she wasn't sure what.

Widia picked up the datapad and looked at the holo for a long moment. "Then why are you looking up Senator Naberrie's aunt?" She blinked at the reaction she got when Mara turned and looked at Luke with wide eyes. "What now?"

"When was her niece a senator?" Luke asked carefully when Mara said nothing.

Widia frowned in thought. "We were underground during that time, but I think… just before the Battle of Yavin when the first Death Star was destroyed. I think, at least."

Luke glanced at Mara, who was staring at the datapad in Widia's hand in befuddlement. "You don't think…"

"That Leia knew her?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"It's possible." Mara turned to Luke and handed Novami to him, then turned back to Widia. "I was looking through that because of what Jaelle said about twins running in Alena's family. It made me wonder, even though the odds were... well, they're high. I came across that holo and I think found the answer I was looking for."

"I see?" Ben asked. Widia let him look and he frowned for a long moment before turning to Mara. "Look like Auntie Lay."

Widia looked at the holo again, studying it. "He's right. Senator Amidala does bare a resemblance to Chief of State Organa-Solo." She was met with silence as Mara and Luke turned to look at one another. "There are some differences here and there, but…"

"Was that what you were trying to figure out?" Luke asked Mara pointedly.

"Well… yes." Mara took the datapad back from Widia and curiously looked through the data again. "Huh… the date of her funeral correlates to Leia's official Life Day. Interesting."

Luke looked at her with an unreadable expression. "Just how long have you been looking into personal records and why didn't you tell me?"

"Since Elsie planted the seed of curiosity, and it was just a hobby. I didn't think it'd actually yield anything."

"Ah." Luke's attention was taken when Novami cooed up at him and he smiled down at her.

Widia glanced at Luke, who had acceded to the urge to coo back to the baby in his arms, then smiled and shook her head. "All right... enough seriousness. Is anyone hungry?"

"I am," Mara said, as Ben nodded up at her. "Where is Vima, by the way?"

"In Renna's room, sleeping in a chair. I went in there to check, and then Vima insisted that she stay, saying that it was important." Widia led the three of them to the kitchen and motioned to the table while she began to prepare something to eat.

Sitting down, Mara looked around the kitchen. She didn't get a chance to say anything because a man entered through the back door. "Uh…"

The man glanced at the people sitting at the table, shrugged, and looked at Widia. "Hello."

"Hi, Samir. Renna's asleep right now, so would you like to join us for supper?"

Samir nodded. "I would." He turned and noticed the baby in the man's arms. "Um... I don't believe I've had the pleasure of..."

Widia pulled a pan out of a cupboard. Turning, she set in on the stove. "Samira, this is Mara, Luke, and their son, Ben. Everyone, this is Samir, a friend of Renna's from the reconstruction project she went on."

"And the baby?" Samir prompted.

"Samir?"

"Yes?"

"Guess." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Samir thought about it. Then his eyes widened and he stared at Widia. "Already? But you didn't comm me!"

"That's because it just happened today, you silly man." Widia went over and took the baby from Luke, smiling at him. "I think it's time I took her back to Alena. Be right back."

Samir, still standing near the door, suddenly felt uncomfortable under the gazes of Luke and Mara. "Uh… hi."

"Hello yourself," Mara said humorlessly as she gazed at him. "Been visiting Renna a lot, have you?"

"Yes. She's a close friend of mine."

Mara's eyes narrowed as she looked at him. A close friend on apparently friendly terms with her mother? This got more interesting all the while...

~*~*~*~*~

Alena smiled as Widia handed Novami back to her. "Thank you. I was starting to wonder."

"Can't have you sending Torath rampaging all over the house looking for her, now can we?" Widia paused, looking at them. "Anyone hungry?"

"Yes, actually," Torath said succinctly. "I am, at least."

"So am I," Alena murmured. "A little, anyway."

"All right, then… I think I need to get back to the kitchen before Mara gets mad and chases Samir away."

"You left Samir alone with Luke and Mara?" Jaelle asked with wide eyes. "Mother!"

"What's the worst that can happen?" Widia paused and thought about that, then she rushed from the room.

Jaelle just shook her head in resignation. "Oh well… can't win 'em all."

"She wouldn't kill him, would she?" Torath asked after a moment.

"I don't think so, but it is better not to tempt fate."

"True."

~*~*~*~*~

Samir was slowly backing toward the door when Widia reentered the kitchen and went back to cooking. "I'll go now."

Widia sighed and turned to look at Mara, who was still staring at Samir with an intent expression. "Mara, he's a friend. What did you do?"

"Not a thing. Awfully jumpy, isn't he?"

Widia laughed. "Ah... Samir, would you sit down already? She won't bite you."

Luke pulled Mara closer and smiled at her. "You'd better not, or I'll be upset."

"Farmboy, are you trying to incite something in front of my mother and our son?" Mara asked him seductively. "Because if you are, you're on the right track..."

"No, but if it'll keep you from hounding the guy with precision questions..."

"Stop it, you two," Widia interrupted them with a chuckle as Samir sat down at the table as far as he could get from Mara. Which meant he was sitting right next to Ben, who smiled guilelessly up at him. "So what have you been doing, Samir?"

"Helping with the restorations of Theed Palace," Samir answered. "There's more work that needs to be done, but the interior is in better shape now than it was."

"That's good."

Mara frowned. "Five years, and there's still reconstruction going on?"

Samir nodded. "Here and there. The first thing we did was help the farmers in the southern hemisphere get back up to speed, then shifted our focus onto other projects."

"Ah."

~*~*~*~*~

Alena leaned back into the pillows and listened as everyone talked around her. It felt so good to hear Widia laugh, and to see the formerly somber woman that was like a mother to her smile like it was the most natural thing in the world.

At her side, holding their baby, Torath smiled at her. "Feels right, doesn't it?"

"It does. I didn't know your mother could smile like that."

Torath had to suppress a chuckle. He was glad everyone had decided to join them in the bedroom after supper, even Samir. "I know what you mean..."

~*~*~*~*~

Renna dreamed.

Dreamed of another life that was not hers.

Dreamed of a young girl sitting alone in the darkness.

Dreamed of that same girl, different and older now, learning from a figure cloaked in darkness and foreboding voice. Learning the ways of darkness.

Always watching. She isn't certain if it the past she sees, or tales of future times. No matter. She doesn't need to know.

Just before she woke, Renna saw another woman, different from the first. This one was in hyperspace, racing toward a loved one, in desperate need to get there in time. Where ever it was.

Dreamed of the woman arriving, only too late. Finding what remained of her rebellious child in a dark and dingy stone room while cruel laughter rang in her ears.

And saw the woman's eyes as she turned and looked at the source of the laughter...

Renna startled awake, breathing hard in the half-light of her room, that cruel laughter still ringing in her mind.

"It was real," an old voice said from beside her. "What you saw? All real."

Renna blinked and turned to find on old woman sitting in a chair and watching her with very familiar eyes. She was dressed in new-looking robes, a scarf covering her head, and there was a sense to her... almost as if she wasn't comfortable in her own skin. "Real? ...wait... Huh?"

The woman was silent for a moment before speaking again. "The force shows. Laughter was real."

Renna was stunned. No one had ever recounted any of her dreams like that before. Her mother believed, sure, but it wasn't quite the same. "How did...?"

"Because you saw Vima's worst. Force told Vima."

Renna sat there, frowning at that explanation. Her worst? "You... lost a child to a dark man in a bad place?"

"To an evil man, yes." Vima leaned toward Renna and put a hand on her shoulder. "Is okay to tell, child."

"Tell what, old lady?"

"Dreams are not dreams, and... it wasn't your fault. None of it was."

"Not my fault in what way? If I'd said something, more people would be alive now."

"Child not know that."

"Yes, I do." Renna looked away. "I saw it, before. If I had spoken up, gone along... something... My father and several others would be alive now."

Vima was silent for a moment, considering the woman in front of her, before making her look at her gently. "Some things happen, child. For good or ill. Maybe could have stopped it, maybe not. Force told you, yes, but..." She paused, eyes going distant.

"Vima?" Renna asked when she realized that Vima wasn't looking at her, but past her.

And then Vima blinked, as if returning to the present. "You must not blame yourself, child. You didn't know it was real. You couldn't have known. Understand?"

Renna cocked her head to the side, trying to understand the meaning of what this old woman was trying to tell her. "I think so... It wasn't my fault?"

"No. None of it was."

"Then the same applies to you."

Vima stared at her, somewhat confused at that. "What?"

"Your regret? Giving in to anger? The anger was your fault, nothing more."

They talked for a long while.

~*~*~*~*~

Later, Renna laid there and stared at the ceiling in the darkness. Vima had fallen asleep again in that chair, softly snoring and occasionally mumbling something about being lost, whatever that meant.

Talking had helped a little. Somewhat, anyway. The pressure in her chest had lessened and she didn't feel quite so nauseated at the mere thought of food.

Shaking her head, Renna sat up and pushed her blankets away. Then she moved to get off the bed and her feet met something other than carpet. Startled, Renna fumbled for the light on her nightstand, and stared when she found a familiar man in a sleeping bag laying there, sound asleep. "Samir?"

_Why is he sleeping on my bedroom floor?_ Renna wondered.

Careful not to wake him, Renna got out of her bed and left the room, glancing back only once, noting that Vima was still asleep in the chair.

Renna made her way to the living room, and stopped in the doorway when she saw that woman from her dream, a blond-haired man, and a small boy asleep on the couch with a blanket covering them. Now she knew something was going on. "Huh... guess mom didn't slam the door after all..."

A tiny wail pierced the air, and Renna turned around to follow the sound. There was a baby in the house? Since when?

She followed the sound to a guest room, where she found her brother cradeling an infant as he sang softly and walked back and forth. Renna watched him for a few minutes before he noticed her and beckoned her to enter, turning to show the infant to her. "It's a girl."

Renna smiled at him. "She's pretty."

"I think so, too."

"When?"

"Ten hours ago... You missed the whole thing, you know."

"I gathered that." She paused, then asked: "Why is Samir sleeping on my bedroom floor, who is the old lady, and where did that family in the living room come from?"

Torath blinked in surprise at her sudden inquisitiveness. "I think Samir refused to sleep anywhere else, and he always does that when he visits you."

"He does?"

"Yes. Mom finds it cute, but I just think he's obsessed with you... As for the old lady? You'll have to ask mom."

"And the family on the couch?"

"Well… they are family. Ours, specifically."

Renna frowned at him as he smiled and turned his attention back to the infant. "That doesn't answer my question, Torath."

"It's 0300, Renna. Go back to bed, all right?"

"Not sleepy."

"Who said you had to sleep?" She just looked at him for a very long moment. "You could wake Samir up and talk to him?"

"No. If he didn't wake up when my feet mistook him for bare floor, then I'm going to let him sleep… He's annoying when half asleep, anyway."

Torath stared at her for a moment, taking in the change in attitude and demeanor in her posture. "You must be feeling better. That almost sounded like a joke."

"It's not a joke, and I kinda am… Spend a year camping with a group of people and you learn things about them. Like the fact that Samir, for whatever reason, will not touch noodles, no matter how they're cooked. And the fact that not only is he a night person, but he'll also be the one to volunteer for guard duty because he hates being woken up by... um... usually me."

"Huh?"

"Dreams. Bad ones."

"Oh."

"Are you two going to yap all morning long?" A sleepy voice asked from the direction of the bed.

Renna turned and saw a very tired Alena, who was looking at them with blearily tired eyes. She went over to the bed and sat down. "Sorry for waking you, Alena. Baby's cute, by the way."

Alena smiled sleepily and rolled onto her side. In moments, she was asleep again.

Renna watched her sleep for a few moments, then looked up at him. "I missed a lot yesterday, hmm?"

"That happens when you're unconscious during the day."

"Yeah." She stood up and fought the urge to yawn. "All right. I'm going back to bed. Talk later?"

"Yep."

"Okay."

Renna went back to her room, gingerly avoided the man sleeping on the floor, and got back into her bed. Looking down at him, she smiled.

Then she turned out the light, yawned as she let the exhaustion take her, and went back to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

As light from the suns rays began to filter into the living room, Mara stirred and opened her eyes with a smile. She was leaning back into her husband with her child still sleeping on top of her, and was greeted by the sound of Luke's soft snoring and Ben mumbling in his sleep.

She would have moved to get up, but the moment was too precious to break and she wanted to enjoy it. It was better to let them sleep, anyway.

A few minutes passed before Widia came out into the living room on her way to the kitchen and noticed Mara watching her with a smile. "Good morning."

"Shh..." Mara told her humorously.

"Ah..." Widia came closer and dropped her voice to whisper. "Does he like caf?"

Mara shook her hand and replied in the same whisper. "Hot chocolate."

"Be back in a minute, then."

Mara watched her go and frowned. Her mother was going to make hot chocolate?

The next person to enter the living room was a very disheveled Jaelle, who didn't even notice her on the couch. Rather, she was still in her night clothes, her auburn hair messy, and Mara got the impression that she was running on a kind of autopilot as she made her way to the kitchen.

Widia came back from the kitchen with a cup that she set on the little table next to the couch. Then she glanced at Mara with an amused smile. "Jaelle's not a morning person."

"Ah." Mara sensed the first stirring's of consciousness from the man she was leaning up against and craned her neck to look at him, as Widia moved to sit in a chair where she'd be out of his view.

As he blinked his eyes open, Luke found himself looking straight at Mara, and he bent to kiss her. "Hi."

"Hey... Way better than sleeping in a chair, hmm?"

"Much." Looking past her, Luke saw that Ben was still cuddled up to Mara. Then he smelled something awfully familiar. "What's that smell?"

"Widia being nice to you," Mara told him with a smirk. "Right, mother?"

"Right," Widia said as Luke turned to see her sitting in a chair. "Though I wouldn't try drinking it just yet, if I were you. It's hot."

Luke was about to say something when Jaelle wandered back into the living room, a cup in her hand. "Um..."

Widia turned and shook her head in amusement. "Jaelle?"

"Hmm?" Jaelle asked as she took a sip and continued to walk back toward the hallway.

"Nevermind. I'll tell you when you've woken up completely."

"Sounds good," Jaelle murmured.

Widia turned back to Luke. "Like I said earlier to Mara, Jaelle's not a morning person. She's really, really not."

"Oh." Luke shifted slightly and picked up the cup that Widia had set there for him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Widia stood up and moved to lift a still sleeping Ben off of Mara. Then she sat back down in the chair again. "Does he always sleep this long?"

"We had a late night," Mara told her as she sat up, almost reluctantly. "I'm surprised that our talking hasn't brought him around yet, but..."

"Momma..." Ben mumbled, startling Widia. "Dark..."

Widia blinked down at him, then glanced at Mara. "Something about you and darkness?"

"Don't worry about it," Mara said with an unreadable expression. "He's fine."

Widia looked at Luke, who shook his head. "If you're sure."

"I am."

"And what about you?"

Mara looked away. "Some days are better than others."

Widia was left to wonder as Mara pushed herself off the couch and went off in search of the 'fresher.

Four months earlier...

Widia was sitting in her favorite chair by a window in the living room reading a hard copy book, when a knock sounded at the door. Frowning, she set the book down, got out of the chair, and went to answer the door.

Opening the door, she was at once startled and relieved. Her child was standing there on the doorstep, biting her lip with nervousness, head turned slightly away while she waited.

After a moment, she turned, and Widia saw the heaviness, the emotions, in her eyes. Wordlessly, Widia pulled Renna into her arms. She didn't need to know right now. Her child was home, and that was enough.

Now…

Renna opened her eyes to find herself staring at the ceiling of her bedroom and rolled over to find that he was still sleeping down there on the floor.

She watched him for a few minutes before his eyelids began to flutter open and he turned on to his back, sitting up in the process. "Hey."

Samir turned his head and found himself face to face with her. He blinked in surprise before smiling. "Hi... You're awake, I see."

"So are you... You didn't have to sleep on the floor, you know."

He chuckled. "The chair was occupied... and did you know that your sister can intimidate people just by looking at them?"

"Of course she can. She's a nurse."

Samir paused, reviewing that answer in his head. "Um... Renna?"

"Yes?"

"Oh, are you two up?" Widia asked suddenly from the doorway. "Breakfast will be ready in half and hour if you want to eat... and Samir?"

Samir, who had been watching Renna when Widia mentioned food, turned to look at her. And then it clicked: Renna hadn't had any reaction to the mention of food like she'd been having for months. No dry heaves, not even a flinch. "Yes, Widia?"

"Can you help me with something? Now?"

"Uh... sure." He got up off the floor, out of the sleeping bag, and followed Widia out into the hallway. "What do you need help with?"

Widia sighed. "Renna doesn't really know about Mara yet. Or, rather... she knows, but she doesn't know know."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you should be careful in what you say and wait until Mara herself is there."

Samir nodded slowly. "Something is different today. I'm not sure what it is, but something is."

Widia's eyes took on that distant expression that she used where Renna was concerned, before nodding in agreement. "You're right..." She turned to go, but looked back at him with a knowing smile. "And Samir?"

"What?"

"Be gentle with her. She's probably still a bit... peaky, even if she seems better. Tread softly."

"Right..." Samir watched her go, then turned back and reentered the bedroom... to find Renna standing at her dresser, contemplating the contents of a drawer. He shook his head and went to the closet without comment to get his duffle bag.

"Mom's half right, you know," Renna said after a moment. "I do still feel... somewhat less than normal."

"You heard everything we said?"

"Not everything. Just that last bit about me being peaky..." He heard a sigh and then a drawer closing. "She worries too much."

"I think she's had plenty of reasons to worry." He turned around to set the duffle bag on the bed and looked at the woman sitting in the chair... who was now wide awake and staring at him. "Uh..." Was that expression genetic or something?

Renna chuckled. "Funniest thing. You slept right through me and Vima there talking in the wee hours of the morning. Vima, this is Samir."

"Young one need not change here."

Samir blinked. "Huh?"

"Vima, it's all right," Renna told her while she slipped on a jump suit. "We've spent a lot of time together."

"Actually, I'll be right back," Samir said as he picked up his duffle bag and left the room.

Renna watched him take his leave, then looked at Vima, who was staring in the direction that Samir had gone in with an expression of hostility. "Vima?"

Vima blinked at Renna's tone of voice and looked at her. "Yes, child?"

"Samir is a friend... he's MY friend. Understand?"

Vima stared at her. "But..."

"We'll discuss this later, Vima." Renna pulled her jumpsuit on the rest of the way, threw an annoyed expression at Vima, and went to find Samir.

~*~*~*~*~

Samir was just leaving the 'fresher when Renna caught up to him. "Hi."

"Don't take it personally."

"Why?"

"Because she's got issues that bare no relevance on the present and knows nothing about you." Renna put her arms around his shoulders. "I didn't say this earlier, but I am happy to see you."

Samir stared at her in mild shock. "Why is it that, for the first time in months, you're saying that, and you're awake and more like yourself?"

"Because of that old lady who stared at you... and I am still a bit nauseous and not totally fine, but I want to eat something for a change."

"Ah." He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the nose. "I'm glad."

"Do you mind?" Torath asked from behind Renna. "I'm still trying to labor under the impression that you two are just really good friends."

Renna giggled and turned to look at Torath. "You're the one who said he was obsessed with me. Is it so bad to find out that you're right?"

"No, but..." Torath frowned and looked into Renna's room. "Renna, you may want to talk to Vima..."

"After I talk to mom. I'm irritated with the old lady just now."

Widia came down the hallway from the direction of the living room. "What's going on? It felt like... an emotional wave?"

"Huh?" Samir asked. "What are you talking about?"

Widia saw Renna standing up and dressed, raised an eyebrow, and looked over Torath's shoulder into Renna's room. "It's Vima. But why?"

"She had a reaction to Samir," Renna explained. "I think I understand it, but... did she have a daughter that got into trouble because of a man?"

"Yes. That was actually the last time I saw her before yesterday. Something about her daughter in trouble."

"She died."

Widia beckoned Renna to join her and they carefully entered the bedroom. Widia bent down in front of Vima while Renna sat on her bed nearby. "Vima?"

Vima slowly focused on her, eyes distant. "Died."

"I know. Come back to me now, all right? I need to understand and you need to stay here. Here. To explain it to me."

"And me," Renna added.

"Neema," Vima said slowly, as if rising from a murky depth.

"What about Neema?"

"Died because Vima didn't stop her. Because I... wasn't hard enough. Because she strayed and Vima didn't go after her."

Widia turned and shared a glance with Renna. "Did that sound off to you?"

"A little. When I talked to her last night, she never referred to herself in the first person."

"Hmm... Vima?" When Widia was certain she had Vima's attention again, she smmiled comfortingly. "It wasn't your fault. Neema made her own choices. Hers. Not yours. Hers."

"Vima could have-"

"No." Widia's voice was firm and Vima looked at her, eyes unblinking. "No. No what if's."

"But-"

Widia shook her head. "Doesn't work that way. No."

"Vima could have-"

"No." Widia stared into Vima's eyes, hoping she was getting her point across. "You didn't know."

"Like you said to me last night," Renna put in after a moment. "You couldn't have known. It goes both ways, Vima."

"Vima was too late."

"I know," Renna said gently. "I saw."

Vima broke Widia's gaze and looked away. "He was bad. She's dead because of him. Because she went off..."

"And made her own choices," Widia firmly reminded her.

"Yes." Tears began to fall as Vima slowly looked at Widia again. "Thank you."

Widia just smiled at her. "No need... Do you want to meet Samir for real?"

"Samir?"

"The man you chased out of here," Renna told her evenly.

Vima blinked at her blankly. "I..."

Widia sighed. "I'll be right back. Renna, stay with her."

~*~*~*~*~

Mara was helping Jaelle set the table when Widia entered the kitchen with tension in her eyes. "Widia?"

"Mara..." Widia looked around the kitchen, frowning. "Where's Luke?"

"Outside on the back steps talking to Ben. Why?"

"I think Vima needs to talk to him... and you, too."

Luke, having heard what Widia had said, came inside, Ben following close behind. "What's wrong with Vima?"

"How much do you know about her?"

"That she was a Jedi in the Old Republic, but not much more than that."

Widia looked down when she felt a tug on her pant leg. "What is it, Ben?"

"Want to help."

"All right," Widia said with a smile.

"Mother?"

"Yes, Jaelle?"

"She okay physically?"

"This is emotional."

"Ah, good."

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"No, I just don't want to be a nurse right now. I want to cook. You all go and be mentally supportive, I'll finish breakfast. And send Samir and Torath out, would ya?"

Widia had to resist the urge to laugh at the expressions of disbelief that passed between Luke and Mara. "Right. You make breakfast, we'll see to Vima."

"And send Renna out when she's ready."

"Uh-huh."

~*~*~*~*~

Widia returned with two adults and a child in tow. "Torath, Jaelle wants you and Samir in the kitchen. Now."

"But what about-"

"Alena and the baby will be fine. Go."

Torath took note of her voice tone, realized that his mother was glaring at him, and grabbed Samir's arm. "Right."

Mara watched as Torath pulled a protesting Samir down the hallway and was barely able to resist a snort in laughter. "Now... what was the problem again?"

"Vima... Renna and I had to talk her through something. It was almost like a kind of catatonia, really. You remember what Renna was like yesterday, right?"

Mara shared a glance with Luke, then nodded. "Yes..."

"It was like that, only without the nightmares and the nausea."

A sigh was heard and the three of them turned to see Renna standing in the doorway of the bedroom, her face set in an expression of confoundedness. "Really, mother. I was not that bad."

"So you remember who she is?" Widia asked, motioning to Mara. "You met her yesterday."

Renna focused on Mara, and had to stare as she was struck again by a sense of familiarity. The dream. This was the woman from her dream that had confused her. "If I say not really, would that be a bad thing?"

Widia rolled her eyes and looked into the bedroom to find Vima looking in her direction with clear, but really sad, eyes. "Vima?"

"Need not worry."

"Always need to worry, Vima. Always." Widia entered the room, Luke and Ben close behind her. "I brought..." She had to stop talking when Ben pushed his way past her and went up to Vima with wide eyes.

"Not be sad," Ben said simply.

Vima smiled wanly at him. "Always sad, little Jedi."

He cocked his head for a moment, looking at her. "See shadows dancing?"

"Yes."

"Never alone. Shadows dance for you... to remind."

Widia turned to look at Luke. "Does he do things like that with everybody?"

"I thought it was normal."

"Hmm..." Widia bent down and put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "He's right, you know."

"Was alone a long time," Vima said softly. "Was safe."

"Well, you're safe now," Luke told her as he bent down on her other side. "And you are not alone, Vima-Da-Boda."

Vima looked at him with a penetrating gaze, as if she was searching for something. There was something there she hadn't seen before. Something strange and at once familiar. "Nor are you, Jedi Skywalker. Vima can see that you found it, Master."

"I'm sorry? I don't understand."

"You found it. Passed trials." Vima could see that he didn't understand, so she looked pleadingly at Widia. "Tell him. Trials."

Widia, who had pulled Ben into her arms and sat down on the bed, nodded slowly. "Right. Luke, I think she means that you remind her of the Jedi of old when they became Masters. She's trying to tell you that she thinks you are a Master now."

"Oh." Luke looked at Vima with an unreadable expression before nodding. "I understand... Thank you, Vima."

~*~*~*~*~

Renna looked at the woman who was giving her a sense of déjà vu. "Uh... hi?"

Mara rolled her eyes and held out her hand. "Hi. I'm Mara Jade Skywalker, also known as Marani Jaden. Your sister."

Renna slowly took the proffered hand and shook it. "Right. I'm sorry. We've met before, right?"

"Yesterday."

Renna shook her head. "No. I mean somewhere else."

Mara, realizing that the vacant, glassyness to Renna's eyes was probably not a good thing, gently squeezed the hand she was still holding to draw Renna's attention back to her. "We'll talk about that later, all right? Now is not the time."

"But..."

"No. Besides, it's time for breakfast."

At the mention of food, Renna's eyes got very wide, and she walked away very fast. Mara blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Widia ducked out into the hall way just then. "Where's Renna?" She was greeted by faint noises from the direction of the 'fresher. "Oh. Did you mention food?"

"Yes... She was confused about why I seem familiar, and... well, yes. I did. Sorry." Mara shrugged as Renna, paler than she'd been, rejoined them in the hallway. "Sorry about that, Renna."

"There is nothing worse than dry heaves," Renna told her frankly.

"Sure there is. There's Jello."

"What is that supposed mean?"

Mara just smiled at her.

~*~*~*~*~

As the eight of them sat down at the kitchen table, Renna tried to ignore the glances directed at her from her family. Then Jaelle set a bowl in front of her, and she couldn't help but stare at the contents.

"What is this?" Renna asked, passing the bowl back to Jaelle, only to have Jaelle return it with a firm gesture. "It's green. Breakfast shouldn't be green, Jaelle." She tried to hand it back, but Jaelle wasn't having it.

Mara glanced over as Jaelle again returned the dish to Renna, and had to resist snorting in laughter. She could understand that reaction. "Jaelle!"

"What? She hasn't eaten that much lately. And Renna? It's breakfast. Eat up."

Mara leaned over to Luke. "Do you think all nurses prescribe Jello after months of not eating a lot?"

Jaelle paused and looked at Mara speculatively. "I'm sorry, Mara. Would you like some, too?"

"No," Mara told her flatly, eyes narrow.

Jaelle shrugged nonchalantly. "If you say so."

"Probably," Luke told her as Renna began to warily eat the Jello. "There was a reason for that, you know."

"True." Mara noticed Widia looking at her with an inquisitive frown as she ate her oamelet, and shook her head to ward off the questions. "Not now."

"All right."

"Can I have some?" Ben suddenly asked as he watched Renna eat the green, jiggly substance.

Jaelle paused and looked at Mara, who was studiously avoiding that question. "Can he have some? There's more, because I've been making it once a week ever since Renna became ill."

"I wasn't that bad," Renna mumbled between bites.

"Yes, you were so. Or you wouldn't be eating Jello for breakfast."

"It's better than pudding," Luke muttered as Mara turned to stare at him blankly. "What? ...and yes, Jaelle. He can have some Jello if he wants it."

"Pudding for breakfast?" Mara asked, almost incredulous.

"You were the one demanding that I wear Flowered Jedi Robes, you tell me." Luke smirked as Samir looked at him with wide eyes and Torath snorted in an attempt to hide his laughter. Shaking his head, Luke continued to eat his breakfast.

"Mara, you're going to have to explain that to us later," Jaelle said after giving Ben a smaller bowl of Jello, and had sat down to join them at the table.

Mara blinked as Torath snorted again. "I... don't really remember it, but... yeah. You can stop now, Torath."

Torath looked at her, and sobered. "Sorry. It's just... the idea... of him... in..." Another snort.

"It's funny?" Mara asked in a neutral tone, eyes glinting with that steely expression that would make a Wampa think twice about attacking her.

"Yes."

Mara ate in silence for a moment or two before pushing her plate aside and regarding him seriously. "So you find someone one acting other than normal for no reason... funny?"

Torath frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"You didn't answer the question, Torath."

Luke cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him. "Without the details it is funny, Mara."

"And with them?"

"Not so much." He put a hand on hers to comfort her, and met Torath's eyes. "She had me worried for a day or so. First the flowers in the living room, then the singing, then flowered clothing, then something she never would have made for breakfast otherwise... though it does make sense now... It sure didn't at the time."

"Oh... sorry about that, Mara."

"Don't be." Mara felt a slight prodding through the force and glanced at Widia, to find her mother looking at her with compassion etched in her features. "I was figuring out I had a family, Widia."

"And it wasn't easy, from the sound of it." Widia didn't miss Luke giving Mara's hand a squeeze or the tightening in his jaw.

"No, it wasn't," Mara answered calmly. Then she turned her attention to Luke. "Do you think that you three men could take Ben out to p-l-a-y for a little while after breakfast?"

Luke glanced at Torath, who shook his head, and Samir, who nodded, and smiled. "I think we could do that, yes."

"Good."

~*~*~*~*~

Renna was seated on the couch, watching while Mara stood at the back door to the kitchen, watching the men and her son in the back yard.

Mara shook her head, smiling at their antics, then turned and reentered the living room to see that Widia was sitting in a chair by the window and Jaelle was standing in the hall entryway. "Now, then… Renna, you were wondering about where you know me from, right?"

Renna nodded. "Yes."

"You had a dream earlier this week," Widia told her. "That's one reason. And then you spoiled me on the fact that Mara's pregnant."

"I did?" Renna shook her head slowly. "I don't remember that, but…"

"It doesn't matter," Mara said, throwing a mild glare at Widia. "The part that does matter is that I know where your nightmares came from. Some of them, at least."

"Vima told me they weren't dreams."

"Well, she's right. They're not. They're force-visions, and you see them in your sleep because that's when your defenses are down."

"That doesn't explain why you give me déjà vu."

Mara looked at her for a moment before crossing the room to dim the light from the window by closing the drapes. Once it was as dark as it would get in the room, she turned, went to the middle of the room, and sat down. She rested her chin on her knees and pretended to look vacantly at nothing.

Widia frowned, confused as to what that had to do with the question Renna had asked. Then, hearing a sharp intake of air, she glanced at Renna. She was staring at Mara in shock. "Renna?"

Renna blinked at the sound of her mother's voice, but her eyes were fixed on Mara. She was suddenly pale, as if she'd seen something shocking and were just now remembering it. "Oh… oh… It was real…" she said slowly, her voice low and tentative, shock almost ringing through the words.

Mara raised her head to look back at Renna with a firm gaze. "Yes."

"Oh…" Renna blinked again, then shook herself. "What was it, then?"

Mara got up off the floor and joined her on the couch. Looking her in the eyes, Mara almost didn't want to tell her, but it was time for truth, no matter how painful. "I… was held captive for six months, and then Luke rescued me. You know the rest." Widia opened her mouth to say something, but Mara waved her off. "I wasn't fine for a long time afterward, Renna… and I still don't much care for certain foods because of it."

"I'm sorry?" Jaelle asked, thinking she'd heard wrong.

"Hospital food. They gave me jello for three and a half days before letting me have anything more solid than that…"

"So why did you being held captive give her nightmares?" Widia asked, giving Mara a firm stare.

Mara returned her mother's gaze with a sigh. "Because… they didn't just hold me captive."

Renna stood up and went to reopen the drapes. "That… yeah." The dimness of the light had been creeping her out. "I… oh…"

"Renna?" Jaelle asked as she led her younger sister away from the window.

"I'm fine," Renna mumbled.

"Sure you are," Jaelle said as she led Renna back to the couch and helped her to sit down. "And I'm queen of Naboo." She kneeled in front of her. "Look at me."

Renna slowly focused on Jaelle, and had to blink away tears. "It's so much."

Mara put an arm around Renna while Widia joined them and pulled Renna, Mara, and Jaelle into a firm embrace. "Yes, it is."

"I never understood those," Renna told them, her voice choked with tears. "I couldn't even talk about it with Samir, and he tried."

"And it hurt because you didn't understand," Widia said gently.

"Yes."

"Well it's over now," Mara told her with a nudge to the arm. "Long as you live, don't ever forget that. It's over and done. Can't change it, but… It doesn't do to dwell on it, because that just causes more pain."

Jaelle turned her head slightly to see the open expression in Mara's eyes and couldn't help but agree. Over and done, no matter how painful it may have been.

~*~*~*~*~

An hour later, after Renna had fallen asleep from exhaustion, Jaelle turned to Mara and frowned at her. "So how did you get better?"

Mara smiled ruefully. "A lot of patience and love on Luke's part, a cat that wouldn't let me out of her sight for more than four months, and a trading run that turned into a bit of a disaster… A good disaster, but still a disaster."

Jaelle shared a glance with Widia. "How do you have a good disaster?"

Mara chuckled. "When you run smack dab into an invasion, get your ship crippled, and end up not dying because a group of strange people show up in the nick of time and rescue you."

There was a long pause as Jaelle and Widia processed that information. Finally, they shared a laugh due to the sheer incredibleness of it.

"I don't remember hearing anything about an invasion, Mara," Widia said after a moment.

"That's because the only planet that got the brunt of it was Lamarred. It was... quelled before they did anything else."

Jaelle would have asked what she meant by that, but from the look in Mara's eyes, she got the impression that it was better to leave it be. "Right... So, have you thought of a name yet?"

Mara blinked at her before glancing at Renna with a smile. "I think so..."

"Good to hear."

Mara would have said more, but Ben came running in from the kitchen with a big smile. "Ben?"

Ben stopped in front of Mara and pulled on her hand. "Come play, Momma!"

Mara stared at him for a moment before nodding and letting him pull her up off the couch. "All right, Ben. Play, it is."

Ben noticed Renna asleep on the couch and frowned. "Why is she asleep?"

"Renna's had a big day, little one," Jaelle told him with a smile.

"Oh." Ben shrugged and pulled on Mara's hand again, and she followed him outside.

Jaelle glanced at Widia. "Think we should join them?"

Widia looked pensive for a moment before smiling. "Go if you want to. I... want to stay a while for Renna."

Jaelle nodded and stood up. "Alright, then."

"Have fun."

Jaelle laughed as she walked to the back door and looked out. With a three year old? Always.


	9. Chapter 9

Mara had to sit down on the grass after twenty minutes to chasing her son around the yard. As she sat there and watched as they continued to play and horse around, she smiled. It was wonderful to see her husband be so carefree for once.

"A flower for your thoughts?" Jaelle's voice asked from beside her as the younger woman sat down.

Mara glanced at her, then turned her attention back to the three men and the child running around in front of them. "Not much to tell."

"Sure there isn't." Jaelle sorted in laughter at Samir being hit with a levitated dirt clod and Luke giving Ben a stern look that the three-year-old laughed at in response. "That... was... I don't know. Quite a revelation you gave us."

"Jaelle, it's over and done. It happened. End of story."

"Mara, I don't believe that for a moment. Yes, it happened, and yes it's over, but that doesn't mean that you are not still bothered by it."

Mara turned to her, and Jaelle saw the pain reflected in her eyes. "I don't want to re-live it."

"Is that what talking about it does?"

"Yes."

"And have you forgiven yourself?"

"Jaelle, it happened five years ago, and I had a man by my side who wouldn't let me not talk about what happened. It was bad, yes, but life... got better. And as much as I am certain you would like to hear all about what gave Renna recurring nightmares... No. I'm not going to tell you."

Jaelle let the silence hang between them before reaching out and pushing a stray strand behind Mara's ear. "I already knew. Before. Renna's not the only one with dreams."

"What?"

"Just what I said... That's why I was confused about how you could say it didn't matter like you did."

Mara studied her for a moment, suddenly reminded of something and chuckled slightly.

Jaelle blinked at her, not having expected that reaction. "Huh?"

Mara shook her head with a slight smile. "Just reminded of something. A paralelle, if you will."

Jaelle glanced at her with a quizzical expression before shrugging. "A paralelle?"

"It's not important, Jaelle. Not now, at least." Mara turned her attention back to Ben and the grown men that were playing with him, and laughed when Ben grabbed onto Samir's leg and refused to let go. "Think we should rescue him?"

Jaelle shook her head, a smile forming on her lips. "No. We really shouldn't."

"Didn't think so, either..." Mara glanced at her and they shared a giggle. Mara patted her knee, and went to rejoin in the fun.

~*~*~*~

While Jaelle was in the kitchen putting away the dishes they'd used earlier, Luke came in and leaned against one of the counters. She glanced at him and continued to put dishes away.

He stood there for a long moment before saying anything. "Mara had an interesting theory earlier."

"She did, huh?"

Luke noticed that she didn't look at him again, and had to shrug. "Yes... but I don't know if it's right, or not. All we have right now is vague speculation."

Jaelle put the last dish away and turned to regard him seriously. "And the vague speculation is?"

"It's about my family."

"Your family... What are you trying to say here, Master Skywalker?"

Luke sighed, almost weary at having to explain anything. "Does the Naboo government keep a DNA registry?"

Jaelle narrowed her eyes, wondering where this was leading. "Of course they do. The Old Republic kept one by law, and as a Republic planet, that meant Naboo had to have one as well. It wasn't as well kept during the Rebellion, because a lot of children were born in hiding, but... Why?"

He hesitated before looking at her in the eyes. "I need you to test me."

Jaelle blinked in surprise. Of all things she'd expected from him, that hadn't been one of them. "Why?"

"I want to know if we're right about something."

Jaelle wanted to ask him what the something was, but thought the better of it. She would find out what he meant eventually. "All right. Let me go get what I need to do a test like that, and I'll set it up."

~*~*~*~

"This should go here..." Han sat on the floor and tinkered with the innards of the game table in the lounge area of the Falcon, having taken it apart to get it to work better than it already did.

A beep from the console sounded, drawing his attention away from his project, and he saw the light for the holocomm blinking at him from across the room.

He smiled as Leia appeared on the screen. "Hi."

Leia smiled back at him. "Hi yourself… Han? Is Luke there with you?"

"No, he's with Mara at her family's house."

Not having expected that, Leia blinked in surprise. "Her family?"

"Yes… why?"

Leia's eyes seemed to go distant for a moment before she looked at him again. "I… don't know."

He grew concerned. He had seen that distant expression before. On Luke. "Leia?"

Leia shook her head and smiled again. "It's nothing. We'll be landing in twenty minutes."

Han nodded, still wondering why she seemed distracted. "Right."

~*~*~*~

Luke was sitting at the kitchen table when Jaelle returned through the back door, carrying a two bags. "Where did you go?"

"Torath and Alena's. We weren't sure where Alena would be giving birth, so I stashed all this at their house, just in case."

"So... You could do DNA tests on the baby?"

Jaelle rolled her eyes at him. "No. We know who her parents are, so that would be somewhat redundant... The reason for this was simple: the government requirement for a DNA registry was put back into effect three years ago." She pulled a piece of equipment out and considered it thoughtfully, then set it aside. "Won't be using that one. Not on a Naberrie baby."

"Huh?"

"That one is for implanting a tracking device under the skin. Because Alena is a Naberrie, use of a tracking device... isn't legal. Not that we've used it since the registry was put back into effect, but... on principle, the kits still come with it. As for why... protective messure."

"Oh. Makes sense." Or it would, if he knew what being a Naberrie meant.

She paused again and looked at him. "Actually, I wouldn't say 'tracking device' so much as 'intra-dermal identification device' that can emit a signal if it has such a capacity to do so." Jaelle held up the device that she'd set aside. "This one has that capacity." She set that one aside and held up another, almost identical to the first, minus a red tag. "This one does not." Jaelle set the devices aside again and sat back to consider him. "I have something to mention before we do this."

"And that would be?"

"What ever it is that you find out here? It changes nothing. It doesn't change the person that you are, and have become... Do you understand that?"

"I think I do," Luke said after taking in her serious expression for a minute.

"All I'm trying to say is that your DNA didn't make you... well... you. It didn't determine who you've become, just where you started."

"I know that, Jaelle." He looked away from her, shaking his head in thought. "My father loved someone. I just want to know who the someone was."

"And then what?" Jaelle asked, unable to resist prodding him. He'd made her uncomfortable with the sudden request as it was. The thought of anyone having loved the man who had become Darth Vader... Intrigued her, now that she thought about it.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Luke answered, still lost in thought.

Jaelle nodded in new-found understanding for herself as well. All this man had were unanswered questions. She'd met a few people over the years since the end of the rebellion like him, where they'd just wanted answers... "I just wanted you to understand that this..." Here she motioned to the equipment. "Doesn't change a thing. It just... adds a wrinkle if I somehow manage to get a hit. Now... good or bad... do you understand?"

"I think I do."

"Good... I have asked and explained twice, and been told that you understand or at least think you do... So let's do this."

Luke blinked at her. "What?"

"Just what I said. It's a DNA test, not an elective surgery." She held his gaze for a long moment, waiting... and then Luke snorted in laughter. "There's a difference, believe me."

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

~*~*~*~

As much as he hated to admit to it, Luke still hated waiting. He was just better at it now. So, as he waited while Jaelle ran the test, he couldn't help but ask questions. "Aren't these usually done in a lab?"

Jalle glanced at him with a smirk. "Usually, yes... But since I have both the equipment and the training, I can do it when not in a laboratory..." The machine beeped at her momentarily, and she turned her attention back to it. Seeing the results, she frowned. "That's odd."

Luke, having felt her surprise through the Force, looked at her sharply. "What is?"

"Tell you in a minute," Jaelle said as she shook her head. "I'm going to run this again... That's really, really odd."

"Odd, why?"

As the same exact result came up a second time, Jaelle's jaw dropped open and she turned to stare at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

Luke frowned at the sudden, shocked attention. "What is it?"

Wordlessly, Jaelle stood up and left the room, leaving Luke to stare after her in confusion.

~*~*~*~*~

Mara was sitting on the couch in the living room talking to Widia and Renna when Jaelle tore through with all the subtlety of a hurricane and disappeared down the hallway. "Now what was that about?"

Widia glanced at Renna, shrugged, and was about to say something when Mara's commlink beeped. "You might want to answer that."

"True," Mara said as she pulled her commlink out of her pocket and activated it. "Mara here..."

~*~*~*~*~

At the sound of feet marching down the hallway and coming to an abrupt halt, Alena looked up to see Jaelle enter the bedroom with an utterly shocked expression on her normally calm face. "Is something wrong?"

Jaelle stared at her for a very long moment before shaking her head. "Did the authorities ever look into Senator Amidala's death? With an investigation or something?"

Alena frowned, surprised by the question. "Not that I know of... Why?"

Jaelle moved to stand next to the basinette that had been set up next to the bed, and gazed down at the baby. "Because they should have. They really, really should have." Carefully, Jaelle picked the sleepy babe up and held her, then smiled at Alena. "I'll be right back, all right?"

"All right..." Alena was left to wonder what Jaelle had meant by that question about a cousin whom she'd never met.

~*~*~*~*~

Mara was in the middle of a comm with Han explaining that Leia, apparently now in-system, had been acting strange, when Jaelle came back through the living room with the baby in her arms.

Suddenly, she was very glad that Ben had gone down for a nap...

~*~*~*~*~

Jaelle came back into the kitchen and handed the baby very carefully to a confused Luke. "Here you go. Luke Skywalker, meet your cousin, Novami Naberrie Jaden."

Luke stared first at her, then at the baby in his arms. "What?"

Jaelle sat back down in her chair and smiled at him. "You were looking for information on your mother, right?"

Luke nodded slowly. "Yes."

Jaelle glanced at the readout on the analyzer again, still not really believing her eyes, then smiled at him again. "Her name was Padme, also formally known as Queen and Senator Amidala, but her given name was Padme Naberrie... And, like I said before, Alena is a member of the Naberrie family."

Luke just sat there, blinking from the surprise. "Oh."

"Is that what the theory was?"

Luke nodded wordlessly as he stared down at the yawning child in his arms with new understanding.

"Luke?" Mara asked from the doorway as she entered the kitchen to find him staring at the baby and Jaelle watching him with a smile.

"He's fine, Mara," Jaelle assured her. "A little shocked, but that was to be expected with something like this... You were right, by the way."

"I was?" Mara examined the equipment on the table with a wary eye before looking at her sister. "You can't mean what I think you mean."

"Sure I can... How did you figure out who his mother might be?"

"It was what you said about Alena's family having a history of twins," Mara said as she pulled up a chair next to Luke and gently took the baby from him. When he turned to her with wide eyes, she held eye contact. "We'll talk about it later, all right?"

"Yes," he said as he graced Novami's cheek with a finger. "It's so much..."

"To take in. I know." Mara handed the baby back to Jaelle, who was now standing beside them. "Thank you, Jaelle. Take her back to Alena now."

Jaelle nodded and left them alone in the kitchen.

Mara took Luke in her arms, knowing that he'd been shaken by the information actually being correct.

"We have to comm and tell Leia," Luke mumbled after a long silence.

"And tell her what, exactly?" Mara asked after thinking about it for a moment. "That your mother died under known circumstances, but at least you know who she was now?"

"But..."

She pulled away and looked at him. "Look at me, all right? You have the answer you were seeking, and that's enough for now. Besides... this kind of isn't something you tell someone over an open comm channel."

Luke stared at her, the truth of her words sinking in. "Oh. You're right. It isn't." He pulled her datapad out of his pocket. "You wouldn't happen to have in depth records on this thing, would you?"

"What kind of records?"

"The kind that explain causes of death."

Mara shook her head, not surprised in the least that his curious nature had gone right to that. "They didn't investigate, Luke."

Luke looked up from the data pad in question. "What?"

Mara tapped a finger on the data pad in his hand. "I looked already... The people that brought her body home were two unnamed Jedi and the Alderanni senator. And the family... didn't want an investigation... I know you want answers, but on this, here, there aren't any."

"But who wouldn't want an investigation..." Her sudden hard expression cut him off. "What?"

Mara continued to silently glare at him for a minute, then she sighed. "A war had just ended and she died under unknown circumstances... that's what I was able to glean on it, really... And since you and Leia are alive and kicking, one can only guess what the circumstances were."

"What do you mean?"

Mara stared at him, finding it hard to believe that he was still puzzled. "You want me to extrapolate?"

"Yes."

"All right... Leia's official life day was three days before the funeral, yours is a week to the day. What does that sound like to you?"

Luke stared at her, feeling as if Mara had just doused him with cold water. He'd forgotten about that detail. "Oh."

She picked the data pad out of his hand, set it on the table, and then took his hands in hers. "Most assuredly 'oh.'"

Thinking back on some of the time they'd spent with various members of the Wave Rangers, Mara found it hard to believe that she'd never asked them what they knew about Luke's family. They'd known about the Sun Crusher, and other key incidents, so why not that one? Mentally, she shrugged. Too late for that, now. She did wonder why they hadn't brought it up themselves, though...

~*~*~*~

Once Jaelle had returned with the baby and left again, Alena was once again resting with the baby in her arms. She didn't have much time to enjoy the quiet, however, when a little girl appeared out of thin air with a big smile on her face. "Uh..."

"Hi!" the little girl greeted her exuberantly, almost bouncing even though she was standing still.

Alena blinked, only just realizing that the girl was translucent and reminded her of her new-found sister-in-law. "Hello."

"Can I see the baby?"

Alena nodded and moved so the girl could see her better, and the girl's smile, if it were possible, got bigger. "Cute, huh?"

The little girl nodded. "Yes." Suddenly, she frowned and looked to her left. "But Grandpa! I wanted to see the baby! And visit? Please, can I stay?"

Alena frowned as the girl began to pout. "He's not going to let you stay?"

"No. Says I'm breaking a rule... But Grandpa Temaru! It's family! You always say that it's okay to visit family! ...what do you mean? It was good that she taught me to talk! ...Yes it was!"

Alena was confused as the little girl disappeared, a cute and infuriated expression on her face. Then she paused... 'Grandpa Temaru?' Temaru was here? As she looked down at the babe nestled snugly in her arms, she smiled at that gift of knowledge.

"Um..." The girl said as she faded back in momentarily with something in her arms. "Do you like animals?"

"Yes... why?"

"Because he can make me leave, but no one tells Momma's companion what to do." Alena sat there blinking in surprise as the girl set a translucent black cat on the bed. "Oh, and can you tell Momma something for me?"

"All right..." As soon as she figured out who this kid's mother was, at least.

"I liked Daddy in the flowers." And with that, she faded out with a grin.

As the cat looked up at her with translucent golden eyes, Alena suddenly realized who the girl was. Funny... Mara hadn't struck her as a cat person.

~*~*~*~*~

Han met Leia at the boarding ramp for the Alderaan. "It's good to see you... Everything all right?"

Leia nodded. "I think so..."

"Ah..." Han would have said more, but the twins and Anakin ran down the boarding ramp and latched onto his legs excitedly.


	10. Chapter 10

Leia regarded the game table that was in pieces in the Falcon's lounge for a long moment before turning and looking at sheepish husband. "Was it broken?"

"Not really… Felt like tinkering." Han shrugged, glad that Chewie had volunteered to entertain the kids outside while they talked.

"Ah…"

"What was bothering you?" Han asked curiously. "Something about Luke?"

Leia shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Didn't sound like nothing, Leia."

Leia turned back and considered the dismantled game table again, thinking it through… "It was a face."

"Whose?"

She glanced at him. "You remember that portrait? The one you thought was of me?"

Han nodded slowly. "Yes. What about it?"

"I keep seeing her eyes... But older... scared... and warm." Leia shrugged. "But that doesn't make any sense."

"Why?" It wasn't making any sense to him, either.

"Because I've never met her... and Luke's presence is so strong every time I see her."

Han nodded slowly, thinking about it. It made sense that she'd asked what she'd asked earlier.

Leia turned and looked around the lounge, frowning as she caught sight of an out of place article of clothing. She reached over and picked the flowered garment up off the chair. "What is this?"

"That's Mara's," Han said by way of explanation. "Doesn't seem like her, does it?"

"No..." Leia set the garment back on the chair and smirked to herself. Somehow, she didn't think Mara had been wearing a floral utility vest that was three sizes too big.

Han heard a sound that seemed out of place on the Falcon and glanced down. As he'd suspected, there was Dark Star sniffing at the dismantled game table parts. That was odd... he hadn't noticed Leia bring her aboard. "Leia?"

Leia smiled. "I couldn't leave her in the board and care facility... Remember how she acted when Luke did that?"

Han nodded, then bent and picked Dark Star up to keep her away from the game table. It just wouldn't do to have Mara's pet hurt because he'd taken something apart and not put it back together yet. "I do... Nice to see ya, kitty." He looked at Leia. "You can leave the kids here."

"How about I leave you with the twins? You can let Jaina get dirty all she pleases, helping you put the game table back together..."

Han snorted at that one. "Right... Funny."

"Thought it was." She smiled at him. "Sure you want to keep Dark Star here, too?"

"From what Luke told me when he was here yesterday for whatever reason, I think they have enough craziness without adding the furry one to it."

Leia studied him silently for a moment, then nodded. "All right..."

~*~*~*~*~

On the spirit plane and out of view, Temaru Jaden was glaring at his granddaughter, who was pouting cutely. "I didn't do anything wrong, Grandpa. Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You said it wrong."

The little girl blinked up at him in sudden understanding. "I did?"

"Yes... This is why you don't give hints like that, little one."

She winced. "Sorry, Grandpa."

~*~*~*~

Torath entered the bedroom to find Alena shaking her head and smiling. "What's so funny?"

"Not that funny, really. Had an interesting visit with someone. Learned some things."

And that's when Torath saw the translucent and glowing feline curled up next to Alena that felt really familiar to him. "Uh..."

"You father was here, along with a little girl. I didn't see him, but saw her... and she left a friend."

"Oh."

"Could you go get Mara for me?" Torath nodded slowly, then turned and left the room. Alena watched him go with a frown. What had thrown him so badly?

~*~*~*~

Mara was still sitting in the kitchen with Luke when Torath entered, appearing to be somewhat more than stunned. She hadn't been around him very much in the day or so that they'd been here, but this didn't seem right for him. "Torath?"

Luke glanced up from staring at his hands and frowned. The young man had seemed fine before, but now he didn't...

"Mara..." Torath began, but stopped when he became uncertain of what else to say.

"Yes?" Now she knew something was off. The only other time she'd seen anyone that stunned, Elsie had started singing a campfire song repeatedly. In rounds.

"Alena... wanted to talk to you. Wants to talk to you."

Mara considered that statement, not discounting his apparent mental state, and stood up. "All right." She motioned to her chair. "Sit, Torath."

"But..."

"Sit," Mara told him, her flat tone of voice making no room for argument as she glared at him. Torath sat down. "Good. Luke, watch him for a bit while I go see what Alena wants."

Luke nodded, hiding a smirk, as Mara left the room.

~*~*~*~

"Alena? What has Torath so stunned that..." Mara began to ask as she entered the room, then she had to pause at the sight of the spectral animal curled up on the bed. She blinked, then sat down on the edge of the bed to get a closer look. Hadn't they left Dark Star with Leia? "Oh... So that's why he seemed so stunned. Never seen a ghost of any sort, had he?"

Alena stared at her. "You mean this happens a lot? A girl showing up out of thin air is normal?"

"Not a lot, but frequently enough... and less often since Ben was born. She's not allowed to appear in front of him." Mara frowned, trying to see past the faint blue glow... was that a faint brindle pattern she was seeing?

"Who was she?"

"The girl?"

"Yes."

Mara looked at Alena for a long, silent moment, then she took a deep breath. "Her name is Neesta. It's a long story, but basically... let's just say that she's been a ghost her entire 'life' and leave it at that."

"Complicated?"

"Very."

Alena saw the shadows of regret in Mara's eyes and had to look away. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault, and, well... at least she visits on occasion when she's allowed to. She shouldn't have gone visible on you, though."

Alena laughed. "Actually, I'm glad she did. Thanks to her, I know that Temaru was here to see us as well."

Mara smiled. "That's good."

Alena looked at Mara slyly. "And she wanted me to tell you something."

"Which was?"

"'I liked Daddy in the flowers.' You really made him wear flowers?"

"Yes... I wonder if I should tell Luke that?"

"Yes!" an excited young voice suddenly yelled from nowhere. "Tell Daddy!"

Mara watched as Alena startled, then smiled again. "All right, Neesta. I'll tell him... But don't shout like that again. You scared Alena, and I don't think she needs any more excitement right now."

"Sorry, Momma."

Mara sighed as she looked at Alena. Something was nagging her about the cat, but she couldn't figure out what it was... "I can explain. She's excitable and likes to be seen."

"Just like any child."

"Except that most children aren't usually invisible."

"True." Alena glanced down at the cat, who was now looking up at them. "She seemed to think this one was yours."

Mara slowly shook her head as the cat looked at her, and blinked when she realized that she knew, or thought she knew, who this was.

_Marani held a piece of string out in front of the kitten and giggled as the kitten chased it and caught the string in its teeth. She waved to her parents as they watched her from the back door. "Likes to chase!"_

_Her father laughed, and her mother smiled, and Marani returned her attention to the kitten. String keep-away just wasn't getting old._

"Bindle," Mara said softly as she shook the memory away and looked down at the cat with new eyes.

"Mara?"

"I had a kitten," Mara said slowly. "Or I think I did."

Alena's eyes widened. "Well, no wonder Torath was startled so badly."

"What do you mean?" Mara took in the wry expression and frowned. Hadn't Widia said something about the house being ransacked or destroyed? "He remembers having a pet?"

"He was three, and their cover was blown... I assume Widia told you some of this?"

"She did." Mara glanced at the cat again. "That makes sense. He'd have been old enough to remember a pet at the very least." She looked at Alena again. "And speaking of that... I'm not the only one with new-found family ties."

Alena nodded slowly, then blinked and looked at Mara funny. "Huh?"

"Think about it... Jaelle said what when she came in here?"

Alena thought about it as she looked down at her child, working through it in her mind. "That they should have done an investigation..."

"And why should they have, do you think?"

Alena raised her head and made eye contact with Mara. "You can't mean..."

"Sure I can... and hold that thought until later. Leia's coming, and then we can talk about it."

~*~*~*~

"What did Alena want?" Luke asked when Mara returned to the kitchen.

Mara motioned to her feet. "Just to tell me something... and be very glad that I put Ben down for a nap."

Luke followed her motion and frowned when he saw the unfamiliar feline. "Did that one happen to come with someone?"

"Yes... Seems Neesta liked your lovely floral outfit."

Luke snorted. "She would. I think everyone liked it but me."

"Would you wear it again, though?"

"No, not even if she begged."

Mara sat down and smiled her best smile at him. "How about if I begged?"

"Mara..."

"What?" She followed his gesture and had to chuckle at Torath, who was staring at them with wide eyes. "Oh... breathe, Torath."

Torath blinked. "Is the cat yours?"

"Well... no," Mara started to say as the cat in question leapt into Torath's lap. "Do you remember having a pet named Bindle?"

Torath stared at the cat in his lap. As it looked up at him, he did feel like he should know who it was. "Bindle?"

"Mara, mom wants to know..." Jaelle started to say as she entered the kitchen, and had to stop in her tracks when she saw the translucent animal on Torath's lap. "Oh. So that's why she seemed weirded out." She went over to stand next to Torath and looked down at the feline. "Oh, wow. I didn't ever think I'd see Bindle again."

"So its name is really Bindle?" Mara wondered. "I thought I was just pulling names out of thin air."

Jaelle nodded. "Yes." She reached down and tried to scratch Bindle behind the ears... and her eyes widened at the contact. "It's been a long time, but I remember him. Hiya, Bindle." Under her hand, she felt him begin to purr.

Mara glanced at Luke and nudged his arm with a smile. Luke returned her smile as Jaelle and Torath reconnected with a lost part of their childhood.

~*~*~*~

On the face of it, the house appeared normal as Leia helped Anakin out of his seat in the rented speeder that she'd parked behind the other one that was already there. On the face of it, as she climbed the steps to the door, she saw no reason for Han to say there was craziness. On the face of it, at least... under the surface was most likely another matter entirely.

As she knocked on the door, Anakin pulled at her hand. "Momma?"

"Yes, Anakin?"

"Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara and Ben are here!"

Leia smiled down at him. "Yes, they are." Then the door opened and she had to blink. There, on the other side of the threshold, was an older woman with dark red hair shot through with gray that reminded her of Mara... who was staring right back at her. "Hello?"

The other woman blinked a few times. "Madame Chief of State Organa-Solo?"

"Yes..."

The woman stood there, blinking in shock for another moment, and then she stepped aside, motioning for them to enter. "Would you please come in?"

Leia nodded and entered the house. She'd been right... normal on the face of things, but not so much under the surface, if that reaction was anything to go on.

~*~*~*~

Luke felt a sudden, familiar presence and frowned at Mara. "What's Leia doing here?"

"That's why I stopped you from making that comm. Han called earlier, saying she was here."

"Oh... shall we leave these three alone and go to greet her?"

Mara smiled. "We shall."

~*~*~*~

Widia waited for the woman and her son to sit down in a chair, and then sat down herself. "So..."

"I know this has got to be strange for you," Leia said carefully. "If it makes you feel any better, this is odd for me, too."

Widia smiled at that admission. "Right."

"Are you related to Mara? Han said that she and Luke were visiting her family, but..."

Widia held up a hand to forestall her. "I'm her mother."

Leia sat back and really looked at the other woman. After a moment, she nodded slowly. "She looks like you."

Just then, Mara and Luke entered the living room, holding hands. Mara smiled as she saw Leia sitting there with Anakin on her lap. "Well, now... Leia, good to see you. Now's your chance to ask your brother about that feeling of yours."

Widia blinked, staring first at Luke, then at Leia. Then she looked at Mara. "That was what the comm was about, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Mara pushed Luke in the shoulder. "Well? Now is your chance."

Luke turned to look at her. "Is that why you stopped me?"

"Yes, Luke. That, and I wanted you to think about the reality of what had been laid out... And now, with all the subtlety of a bomb going off, I am going to usher my mother and dear Anakin down the hallway to see Alena..." She smiled at him as he stared at her in near-stupefication. "Take your time."

Leia stared at her brother after Mara had practically pushed Widia and Anakin out of the room with somewhat of a smirk. "What was that about?"

"Mara wants us to talk about something private," Luke muttered as he sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to him. "She stopped me from comming you earlier, and..." Momentarily, Mara returned and wordlessly handed him the datapad, and then left again. Luke watched her go, looked at the datapad in his hand, and nodded in silent agreement with his wife. Some things were just easier with visual aids.

"Luke," Leia prompted as she felt the urge to blink again. "I've been having this... nudge. Since we dropped out of hyperspace into the system."

Luke turned to look at Leia. She didn't normally get Force nudges... not often, anyway. "What kind of nudge?"

"I keep seeing a woman's face. I've never met her before, and I don't know who she is. She reminds me of that woman in the portrait at home, though..." Leia shrugged, unsure of how to continue.

Luke stared at her for a minute, so startled that he forgot to blink. "Really?"

"Yes." Leia studied him intently. He seemed shocked to her... "Luke?"

"What?"

"Breathe."

Luke continued to stare at her, then laughed at the oddness of it all. Here he'd been looking for answers, and the answers had been right in front of them the whole time. "Thanks... It's just odd that you would have that kind of a vision today. Especially today." He concentrated on the datapad for a moment, finding the information he wanted, and then handed it to Leia. "Is that the woman?"

Leia took the datapad from him and read the entry, staring hard at the holo displayed there. There were minor differences, but there, in stunning clarity, was the face of the woman she'd been seeing in her mind's eye for the past several hours. She was younger in the holo, but the eyes were the same. "Yes. Yes, she is... but..."

"Why are you getting nudges?"

"Exactly that."

Luke paused, uncertain of how to explain it. He himself was still kind of reeling from confirmation, and to explain it... "Because I asked Mara's sister to do a DNA test. The woman in that holo? Her name was Padme Naberrie... and..."

Leia heard the hitch in his voice and looked up from the datapad to find him biting his lip. "Luke?"

He looked away, trying to compose himself, but Leia's hand on his arm forced him to look at her. "The test revealed that she is our mother."

"What?" Leia looked down at the datapad with new understanding. It explained why she'd been getting nudged like that...

~*~*~*~

Renna was sitting on her bed in her room and staring at the walls. Everything, from actually eating with everyone for the first time in way too long, to finding out that her nightmares hadn't been nightmares but reality, to the old lady who was sleeping again in the chair beside her bed, to the sister she'd suddenly gained... all of that was just plain overwhelming. It was all so much...

"You're missing all the fun," Mara said from the doorway, making Renna jump at the suddeness of the intrusion. "The wall cannot be that interesting."

"It's quiet in here." Renna looked up to find her mother standing behind Mara.

"But everyone else is not in here with you," Mara noted with a chuckle as she entered and sat down on the bed beside Renna. Widia stayed in the doorway. "Overwhelming, isn't it?"

"How did you..."

"You'd be surprised." Mara beckoned Widia to enter, really glad that they'd let Anakin stay to look at the baby with Alena. "It was a while before I could really do crowds... and even then, not very well."

"I'd like to hear more about that," Widia said as she sat down to join them. "You told us before, but...

"There's not much to say about it, really." Mara shook her head, and realized something... she had a golden opportunity, right here, if she wanted to take it. "First your pet, and then my husband's family... and if you really want to know..."

"What?"

"Forgive me for this, but... Neesta, if you're still here, come on out."

~*~*~*~

Neesta glanced up at her grandfather. "Can I?"

Temaru smiled. "Now that you have permission, yes." Neesta beamed up at him with a huge smile.

~*~*~*~

Widia frowned at her. "Who?" For a moment, she thought she felt a kind of static and had to blink at the sensation. She'd felt that before on numerous occasions...

Mara smiled as Neesta faded into view. "There you are... Widia Jaden, meet your granddaughter, Little Needle in a Haystack Skywalker. We call her Neesta. Neesta, this is your grandmother and your aunt." Mara glanced at Renna, not surprised to find her staring at the translucent little girl in shock.

Widia stared at the translucent little girl in facination, then she stood up and moved to get a closer look at her. "This... why didn't you say anything about this little one?"

"I did," Mara said firmly. "This is one of those reasons that Renna had nightmares she doesn't understand."

"What?" Renna suddenly asked, her voice tight and emotional.

Mara got Renna to look at her. "Sometimes the answers are hard, Renna. This is one of those... Is he still here, kiddo?"

Neesta glanced to her right in question, then nodded. "Yes."

"Good."

"He who?" Widia wondered as Mara stood up slowly.

Neesta smiled at her. "Wait for it."

"Neesta and I are going to leave the two of you to have a chat with someone who made his presence known earlier... and Renna?"

Renna yawned. "What?" She couldn't help but stare at the little girl... and now she felt even more overwhelmed than she had.

"Breathe." Mara smiled when Renna looked at her with wide eyes, then turned to Neesta. "Well? He can come on out, too."

Widia was about to ask again when a man's form solidified and he put a hand on Neesta's shoulder. She stared at him in utter shock, knowing it should have been impossible, but... here he was, translucent and glowing and smiling at her.

If it were possible, Renna's eyes went even wider. "Dad?"

Mara nodded to her mother and quietly left the room with Neesta behind her. For once, she'd gotten to spring a surprised on someone. And this time, it was a good surprise. Stopping in the hallway, she turned and looked at Neesta. "You did good."

"I did?"

"Yes, sweetie. You really did... But what was the big idea with going visible in front of Alena?"

"I wanted to see the baby, Momma." As Mara glared at her, she winced again. "That was wrong?"

"No, Neesta. It wasn't wrong..."

"But you're upset."

"Yes."

"Can I stay?"

Mara looked at her as she pleaded silently with her eyes, and sighed. "Yes, Neesta. You can stay... but remember the rules."

"No scaring Ben?"

"Exactly that... Or Anakin, for that matter."

Neesta glanced down the hallway to where she could still see her father and his sister talking in the living room. "Can I go and listen to them?"

"No, that's a private moment."

"But I already know what they're talking about!"

Mara frowned at that admission. "What?" Neesta suddenly realized what she'd said and disappeared without a word. Mara was left to glare at the spot where Neesta had been standing. They'd have to talk about that later, because now she was curious. Neesta had known all this time and kept silent?

Shaking her head, Mara joined Alena and Anakin in the bedroom. There would be time enough to sort all that out...


	11. Chapter 11

Jaelle and Torath watched as Bindle jumped down and looked back up at them for a quiet moment, and then walked off, tail high in the air and fading from sight as it did so. She glanced at Torath with a small smile. "That was nice, wasn't it?"

Torath nodded. "Yes." He stood up. "I'm going to go talk to Alena, and then Samir and I, because he said he'd help if it was needed, are going to go finish the baby's room."

"It's still not done?"

"Not all of it, no," Torath told her wryly.

"Why did you put it off so long that you..."

"I had a lot of it done, Jaelle. Just a few odds and ends are left."

Jaelle chuckled as he left the room. She could have sworn he was blushing.

~*~*~*~*~

Alena looked up from watching Mara and little Anakin with the baby, to find Torath standing in the doorway, smiling at her. "Hi there."

"Hi," Torath said as he came in and sat down on the other side, and kissed her softly. When he pulled back, Alena was staring at him adoringly. Torath smiled again. "Love you, too... Samir and I are going back to the house and he's going to help me finish the baby's room."

Alena nodded. "All right." Torath kissed her again, nodded to Mara, and left the room.

Mara stood up and placed the baby in the basinette next to the bed. "He didn't finish it, yet?"

"Kept getting sidetracked," Alena told her with a small smile and blushing slightly.

Mara paused at that admission, and then returned the smile. "Ah... distraction can be good..."

"It was."

"Distracted?" Anakin asked. "Why?"

Mara smiled down at him. "Lot's a reasons, Anakin."

"Oh."

Mara glanced at Alena. "You mind keeping him busy for a bit while I go talk to Leia?"

"Not at all... Anakin, would you like to hear some stories?"

~*~*~*~

Neesta was watching as her mother talked to Leia when a hand landed on her translucent shoulder. Blinking, she craned her neck and looked up to find Ailee standing there, smiling down at her. "Hi! What are you doing here?"

"Checking on you... Do they know yet?"

Neesta nodded slowly. "In pieces... Can I tell?"

"No, and you know why. They'll find out the rest, Little Princess."

"That's not my name anymore, Ailee."

Ailee bent down and looked into her eyes. "You'll always be Little Princess to me, Neesta... and really, if your grandmother was a princess, and your father is an unknown prince, then you, little one, are a princess."

Neesta frowned. "I thought that was my name."

"And now you know what I really meant. Makes sense now, huh?"

"Not really, no."

Mara glanced and saw Neesta staring at thin air. "Odd..."

"What is?" Leia asked.

Mara turned and looked at her. "Nothing really... Where are Jaina and Jacen? I know you didn't leave them on Coruscant."

Leia frowned at the subject change, but decided to let it slide. "With Han and Chewie at the spaceport... Dark Star is there, too."

Mara blinked at her for a moment before nodding. "I was wondering about that... especially after the ghost of the family pet showed up."

Leia frowned again. "Ghost of the what?"

Mara shook her head. "That one, I can't really explain."

"Weird?"

"Yes."

Leia nodded at that answer and decided to let it go. She was about to say something else when Luke entered the room from the kitchen, a glass of water in his hand. Mara stood up and met him half way. "Give me the codes for the speeder."

"Why do you want them?" Luke wondered.

"Someone has to go check on Solo, you know."

Luke nodded and handed her the flimsy with the codes on it for the speeder. "I could go..."

"You went yesterday, Farmboy. My turn today."

Luke handed her the glass of water with a smile. "Good point."

Mara accepted the glass of water and took a sip. "How'd you know I was thirsty?"

"You got really thirsty right off with Ben," Luke reminded her. "Figured that would be the case now, too."

Mara glanced at Leia, who was openly staring at them. "Sorry we didn't tell you, Leia."

Leia blinked slowly, then stood up to join them, hugging Mara in quiet joy. When she pulled away, Leia smiled at her. "I know how much it means to you both, and I'm just glad to know now."

Mara pulled out of Leia's grasp to set the glass of water down on the caf table, and then rejoined the hug, pulling Luke into it as well. "Thank you for understanding, Leia."

They stayed like that until someone cleared their throat from behind Mara. Mara glanced back to find Renna standing there, looking at them with raised eyebrows. Mara smiled and held out a hand invitingly, which Renna hesitantly took, and Mara pulled her into the group hug without hesitation. Leia hesitated only a moment, not having expected Mara to do that, and then nodded to Renna with a smile. She could see the tell-tale echoes of remembered pain in Renna's eyes and welcomed the woman she'd just barely met wholeheartedly.

Some things just didn't need to be spoken aloud.

~*~*~*~*~

A little bit later, after Mara had left, Renna was sitting on the couch and listening while Vima told stories to Ben about the Old Jedi Order when Leia sat down next to her.

"I'd forgotten how good she is with children," Leia said, with a measured glance at Renna.

Renna nodded in agreement. "She's better now than she was when she got here... not that I was actually awake for that or anything..."

"I'm sorry?" As Renna shook her head, Leia nodded. "Ah... want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Renna muttered as Widia joined them on the couch, a plate with a sandwich in hand. "Where did Samir go, anyway?"

"Samir went with Torath back to the house to finish setting up the baby's room," Widia told her as she handed the plate to Renna. "Eat."

Renna stared at the sandwich, then looked at her mother. "I'm not hungry."

"You missed lunch because you slept through it... and if Jaelle had her way, it would be jello."

Renna looked at the sandwich again, then began to partake. "Good point."

Widia glanced at Leia, who was looking on with a mild air of confusion. "We've had a busy couple of days."

Leia nodded. There was so much here that was a puzzle... the woman had slept through lunch, was obviously thin, and the echoes in her eyes reminded her of Mara after Luke had brought her home to Coruscant... "So I gathered... Has to have been odd at the very least."

"More than a little," Widia agreed. "Can I get you anything?"

~*~*~*~*~

Mara sighed as she sat in the speeder in the parking spot at the space port, taking a moment to collect herself.

"Momma?"

Mara resisted the urge to jump as she turned to look at the translucent child sitting there. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

As Mara stared at her, Neesta winced and looked away. "I'm not angry that you said nothing, Neesta."

"You're not?"

"I just want to know why you didn't."

Neesta shook her head. "Not as simple as it sounds."

"Oh really?"

"Really... How was I supposed to tell you that you had surviving family when it wasn't time yet? I mean... Ailee tried to hint, through Elsie, but..." Neesta shrugged. "There's a million ways to answer that, Momma... The Force forbid it until it was time?"

"You can't blame it on the Force, Neesta... Elsie knows?"

"What doesn't Elsie know?"

Mara blinked at the answering question to her question, because she hadn't really thought about it. Neesta had a good point... "That doesn't excuse it."

"Didn't say it did." Neesta held her mother's gaze. "It worked out, didn't it?"

Mara chuckled. "Yes, it did."

"Then no worries."

Mara looked at Neesta with raised eyebrows. "No worries?"

Neesta shrugged. "I spent a lot of time with Elsie while she was here, Momma."

"Ah..." Mara reached over and held out her hand. "Feel."

Slowly, Neesta took Mara's hand, and smiled when she felt what Mara wanted her to feel. "I'm a big sister again!"

"And a cousin, too." Mara waited, savoring the moment while they had contact, and then Neesta released her hand, and they smiled at one another. "You want to follow me to the Falcon, don't you?"

"Yes," Neesta admitted.

Mara turned and opened the speeder door, then looked back at her. "Well, alright then... No scaring anyone."

"Can't I at least bug Uncle Han a little?"

"No."

"Darn."

Mara snorted in laughter and got out of the speeder.

~*~*~*~*~

Jaina stood by and watched as her father put the finishing touches on the repaired game table, then looked down at the piece in her hand. "Are you sure you put it back together right?"

"Yes, Jaina. I'm sure."

"Then what's this thing?"

Han glanced over at her and saw the part that the eight year old girl was holding up for him to see. He sighed and took it from her. "I thought I got all of them."

"It's not going to work right, is it, Daddy?"

"No, it's not." Han sighed as he sat down at the aforementioned game table and looked at the part, turning it over and over in his hand.

"Hi, Aunt Mara!" Jacen yelled from the corridor leading to the exit ramp.

Han looked up to see Mara standing there, a quizical expression on her face, and he blinked in surprise. "Hi."

Mara held out a hand for the part, and he wordlessly handed it to her. She studied it, then glanced at him. "It's this part of the holo imaging photo receptor?"

"Yes... Mara?"

"What?"

Han motioned to the vest hanging on the chair. "That?"

Mara blinked at him as she set the part down on the holochess table. "Luke didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"You can stop wearing that. Really."

Jaina frowned as she picked Dark Star up. "That's Daddy's?"

"No, Jaina," Mara told her after seeing the sudden expression of panic in Han's eyes. It was one thing to embarrass him with something silly, entirely another to make his daughter think he wore a floral vest when she knew he was manly. "It's mine."

"Then why..." Jaina paused at the look Mara shot her. "Oh... this is one of those things I should never ask about?"

"Yes."

Jaina looked at Mara for a long moment, handed Dark Star to her, and turned to leave the lounge. "I'll go see what Chewie and Jacen are doing, then..."

Mara watched her go, then looked down at Dark Star and chuckled. "He was supposed to tell you yesterday."

"He was distracted... Vima."

Mara nodded. "Understandable... I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"The vest? Don't worry about it, Mara."

"I made you wear a flowered vest for laughing, Han. How can you..."

"Easily and we all have our moments." Han shrugged, picked up the part up and looked at it again. "Guess I'll have to take the table apart again and put it back together right..." He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, and Mara had to stifle a chuckle.

"Thanks."

Han motioned to the purring cat she was holding. "She seems happy to see you."

Mara smiled and scratched Dark Star behind the ears. "I'm happy to see her, too... She didn't give them any trouble did she?"

"I think Leia would have said something if she had."

Mara thought back to earlier in the week... she'd dropped Dark Star off at the animal hospital for a full check up, and then she'd... made Luke worry with odd behavior. "True... want me to take the kids off your hands?"

Han shook his head. "I like having 'em here."

"I'm taking Dark Star, then... especially if you're going to be taking the game table apart."

Unable to repress it, Han snorted in laughter. "Thank you for the vote of confidence."

"I've seen you fix things before... sparks are not a good thing, you know."

"Mara?"

"Yes?"

"Don't you need to be going?"

"So eager for me to leave, are you?" At his expression, she smiled. "But you're right. I simply must be going... baby is cute, by the way."

"Glad to hear it."

~*~*~*~*~

As Mara reparked the speeder in front of her mother's house, she had to pause at the sight of the extra speeders that hadn't been there before. Had Widia said there'd be people stopping by? She couldn't remember...

Parking the speeder and getting out, Mara picked Dark Star's carrier up and shut the door. "Let's see what we find... and Neesta?"

"Yes?"

"He's still here, isn't he?"

"In there, you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

"No, and Bindle left, too."

Mara nodded, satisfied at that answer. She climbed the steps, and opened the door, carefully entering and shutting the door behind herself. Dark Star meowed, and Mara set the carrier down as Luke joined her in the entryway with a newly-woken Ben.

"I thought we left her with Leia," Luke said after a moment's pause.

"Leia left her with Han," Mara told him as she watched Ben bend down and look inside the carrier.

Ben looked up at Mara. "She wants out."

"She always wants out, Ben."

"Can she come out?"

Mara shook her head. "She may have you on her side, but that's something we're going to have to wait on, okay?"

"Why?"

"Ben... this isn't home." Mara bent down and smiled at him. "Maybe later, all right?"

Ben nodded. "All right."

"Mara..." Luke said slowly.

"What?"

"Alena's family is here."

"So that's where the extra speeders came from. Was wondering about that..."

"Yes... and Leia knows one of them."

Mara took hold of Ben's hand and followed Luke to the common room.


	12. Chapter 12

Widia opened the door to find familiar faces and she smiled. "Welcome." Stepping aside, she allowed them entry, then shut the door and moved to lead them to the living room. It was in that moment that she remembered Leia and Luke sitting on the couch, chatting. She turned to look at Alena's mother. "Would you like to see Alena first?"

"We would, Widia," the woman said as she held her husband's hand.

Widia nodded, then glanced at the other members of the party. "The room is not that big, so..."

"Mother and I will wait out here," the former senator preempted her. She turned to find Leia staring at her. "I think there is some catching up to do, don't you think, Senator Organa?"

"There is, indeed, Senator," Leia replied. "It's been a long time, Pooja."

"It has."

Widia glanced at Pooja's mother to find her staring at Leia in fascination. So she'd seen it, too... Shaking her head in consternation, Widia turned and led Alena's parents down the hallway. There'd be time enough for that later.

Thirty or so years earlier...

The world had ended a week ago. It had ended, and a new one, a scary one, had begun in its place. These were her thoughts as she sat in the darkness of her parent's kitchen, trying to come to terms with it all.

A week ago, everything had been normal. Had seemed normal, that is, until the comm came in. Standing there, listening, she'd wanted to scream, cry... anything but stand there and listen as her mother explained that her sister had died. A week ago, she had wanted to make another comm as soon as her mother had disconnected, and call her sister for their monthly chat... only to realize she couldn't. That moment, staring at the comm station, had been one of the hardest in her life...

Sighing, Sola stood up and allowed herself to wander. She ended up outside the door of Padme's bedroom. Hesitating only a moment, she twisted the knob and entered the room, closing the door carefully. The lights had automatically come on and she didn't want anyone else disturbed.

Turning, the flicker of the wall-mounted holos caught her eye, and she crossed the room to look at them closer. She had seen them many times over the years, but right now they took on another meaning. Padme was alive in here, in those repeating holos.

Watching the one from the Senate repeat and repeat back on itself, Sola wanted to reach into the holo and pull her sister out of it. To touch her. To do more than just watch her... To have her here in person, rather than as a holo on a wall. A memory of yesterday, of what had been.

Sola backed up and slowly sat down on the bed, never losing sight of her sister. She watched it for a long while...

In the morning, her parents found her asleep on the bed.

Now...

Jacen bent down and looked at the little creature as it tried to hide in a corner of the small 'fresher unit, curious as could be about it. It had wiskers, and a tail, and was the most interesting shade of brownish-red that he'd ever seen. Slowly, in order to not startle it, he put out his hand in invitation. "Come on, little guy. I won't hurt you." Slowly, as if it had never had someone do that before, it came toward him and sniffed his hand. Jacen smiled. "That's it... can I hold you?"

The little creature came closer, as if saying yes, and Jacen picked it up. He held it up carefully to get a better look, and frowned when he realized that he didn't know what this was.

~*~*~*~

Han had just finished putting the game table back together for the second time when Jacen came up to him with something in his hands. "What you got there?"

"Don't know." He showed his father, and Han blinked. "Do you know what it is, Daddy?"

Han slowly took it from him. "It's a... creature."

"But what kind?"

"I don't know, Jacen. Never seen it before."

"I want to know what it is!"

Han sighed, knowing that when his son was insistent about things like this, especially animals, it was best to find out the answers. "Let's go ask the spaceport officials, then."

Jacen smiled and followed his father as they went to go find out what the creature was. "Can I hold it again?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because..."

"Because why?"

"Because I said so, Jacen." Han ducked his head into the lounge for a moment. "Chewie, Jacen and I will be right back." The wookiee waved him off and Jaina almost burst out laughing when she saw what her father was holding. Shaking his head, Han smiled to himself and led Jacen out of the ship.

~*~*~*~

Mara doubled-back to pick up the carrier when Dark Star meowed rather loudly. "All right, you're coming too." Shrugging at Luke's questioning glance, she smiled. "She will make a lot of noise, remember?"

He nodded and let them into the living room. Mara wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but Leia chatting in that political tone of voice she used during senate sessions wasn't it. Especially not with two women she recognized from holos on the datapad. _ Tell me that she isn't using politics to feel them out, Luke. _

_ The younger one was a senator, _ Luke told her unhelpfully over their bond as she sat down in a chair, setting the carrier down next to it out of the way. Ben climbed up into her lap as Luke sat on the plush arm.

_ So they're both using politics. Great. _ Mara waved silently to her mother when she noticed her.

Ben turned his head to look up at Luke. "What's... polotics?"

Luke blinked down at him, then laughed. "When you're older, I'll explain that one."

Widia frowned when she saw the carrier beside Mara's chair. "Mara? Did you find a pet or something?"

Mara shook her head. "That's Dark Star... Solo was fixing something and I couldn't leave her there."

"She wouldn't have let you leave her there, you mean," Luke teased her gently.

"That, too."

Widia stood up to get a closer look at the feline that was looking out her unblinkingly. She didn't feel any malevolence originating with it... "You can let her out if you want to."

"You're sure?"

"I'm your mother, of course I'm sure." That her daughter had a pet... maybe she wasn't so different. The thought had merit, anyway, as she turned her attention back to Leia and Pooja, who apparently were still catching up, and Sola who hadn't said a word since arriving. Now that she thought about it, Sola did seem to be a little stunned.

~*~*~*~

Jaelle, finally tired of sitting in the kitchen with her datapad, stood up and entered the living room. She stopped in the doorway, watching as Leia made political small talk while Mara, Luke, Ben, and her mother looked on. She could tell that Leia and Pooja were feeling each other out, and Sola appeared to be lost in thought, glancing between Luke and Leia. "Right... could the four of you come into the kitchen, please?"

Leia turned and looked at her in question. "Is something wrong?"

"Well... this isn't a Saback game to be won or lost and I have all the cards. Kitchen. The four of you. Now."

"Jaelle, I can do this," Luke said as he started to protest.

She sighed and pointed to the kitchen. "Now."

Mara suddenly had to chuckle at the pang of déjà vu. When Jaelle glanced at her, Mara shook her head. "Tell you later."

Jaelle fought the urge to smile. "All right." Turning back to the four in question, she raised an eyebrow. "Well? Day's not getting any younger."

Slowly, the four of them complied and Jaelle followed them into the kitchen. Back in the living room, she heard Ben ask a question... "What was that about, Mommy?"

Mara's answer was priceless: "The secrets of the universe, little one."

"Oh."

~*~*~*~

Pooja waited for Jaelle to join them, glancing at Leia all the while. "I wasn't expecting to find anyone here but Alena's in-laws."

Luke wanted to chuckle at that. "How right you are."

She frowned at him. "What?"

"All right, to avoid confusion, we'll do this the easy way. If you want to tell Alena's family afterward, that's all well and good," Jaelle said as she handed a bottle of Ale that she'd found in a cupboard to Sola. "You'll be wanting this."

Solo blinked down at the liquor in her hands. "I will?"

"Yes. Master Skywalker here is lucky I didn't find that earlier, or I'd still be drunk from the shock."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

"That wasn't a complement," Jaelle muttered as she handed an information chip and a datapad to Pooja. "Everything you want to know is on there, Senator."

"Jaelle, you don't have to be so formal," Pooja protested... and then, as she read what was there, her eyes went wide with realization. "What in the nine hells is this?" She showed it to her mother, who suddenly understood why Jaelle had handed her a bottle of Ale.

Jaelle smiled as she motioned to Luke and Leia. "It's a boy and a girl."

Sola sat down hard in a chair and stared at them. "I'm right? Her resemblance to Padme isn't coincidental?"

"Nope, not a coincidence."

Leia looked at Jaelle. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

~*~*~*~

Samir was mounting a picture on a wall when he noticed something off: a paint brush was moving on it's own, painting a wall that Torath hadn't done yet. "Um... Torath?"

"What?"

Samir watched it for a moment or two, and when it did nothing besides paint that wall, he decided it was harmless enough. "Nothing... where did you want the changing table?"

"Over there in the corner, Samir."

He glanced at the paint brush again, shrugged, and moved the piece of furniture to where Torath had indicated. "I thought you were mostly done."

"Mostly, but not all..."

Samir froze when he heard an out of place noise: a child-like giggle. "Torath?"

"Yes?"

"Did you just giggle?" Which would have been odd... he'd never heard Torath giggle. Samir turned to find the other man looking at him funny.

Torath shook his head as he stood up straight and glanced around the room. "No..." He trailed off as he saw the paint brush painting all on it's own. Squinting, he could almost make out a shape holding it. "Um..."

"Saw it, too," Samir quickly told him. "Doesn't seem to be any harm or anything, just painting."

Torath watched as the paint brush dipped itself in the bucket for more paint and resumed painting, and cocked his head in curiosity as he started to hear something. Was that a child's voice singing a song? It sure sounded like it. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen..." Torath said as he held up a hand, indicating that he wanted quiet.

"...row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream! Merrily, merrily... something, something don't remember the rest! ...kum by yah, my Force, kum by yah! Somebodie's crying, my Force, kum by yah. Oh Force, kum by yah... I wonder why Elsie calls that a campfire song? Weird... There was a story about a little bantha... who was loooost in the wilderness..."

Torath turned back to share a confused look with Samir. "Someone's singing... badly."

"Hey!" a little voice yelled suddenly. "I am not bad at singing!"

At Samir's sudden shocked expression, Torath slowly turned to find a translucent little girl holding the paint brush and glaring at him. "Woah..."

"I just don't remember all the words!" Neesta watched them slowly back away and leave the room, and realized as she heard them fleeing down the hallway that she was in trouble. "Oops."

~*~*~*~

Mara was just letting Dark Star out of her carrier when Neesta appeared in the living room, looking very sheepish. Mara glanced at Ben, who was being entertained by Widia for the moment, looked at Neesta again, and then sighed and beckoned her to follow. "Is Renna in her room?"

Widia nodded. "I think so." Seeing Neesta, she immediately made sure Ben stayed focused on her. "And this is how you see the picture within the picture... squint, Ben. What do you see?"

Ben squinted. "A... poofy animal? Big. Round."

Mara smiled and, with Dark Star in hand, led Neesta to Renna's room. "All right, what happened?"

Renna looked up to find Mara staring intently at that translucent child again, but her attention was taken by the feline that hopped out of Mara's arms and bounded up onto the bed to look at her.

"I... scared Uncle Torath," Neesta said hesitantly. "And that other man."

"Scared?"

"He said I was bad at singing! I was helping! And painting was fun!"

Mara blinked at that explanation. "You were what?"

"Painting, Momma."

"And you went visible, didn't you?"

"Well... yes."

Mara sighed. "All right. Stay here, and I'll go see if they're here yet. You don't mind if she stays here, do you Renna?"

Renna smiled. "Not at all... is this cat yours?"

"Her name is Dark Star." Mara smiled at the way Dark Star was looking at Renna. "She must like you."

Renna watched as Mara left the room, then looked at Dark Star again. She scratched her behind the ears, and Dark Star leaned into it. "You're a nice one, aren't you?"

"Yep!" Neesta said as she sat down on the bed, careful not to go through it.

"Did you really scare my brother?"

"Didn't mean to."

~*~*~*~

By the time Mara got back to the living room, Torath and Samir were already there, appearing about as spooked as she'd expected. Shaking her head with a repressed laugh, she motioned for Widia to join her. "Neesta went visible while trying to help with the baby's room."

Widia glanced back at her son and Samir, nodding in understanding. "No wonder they seem so shocked."

"Can you handle it?"

"I can."

Mara nodded, and turned to go back to Renna's room.

~*~*~*~

"Huh... Neesta, you just made my day."

"I did?"

"Yes, you did. Don't scare anyone else, okay?"

"But I was trying to help them!"

"Did they know about you before?"

"No."

"Then trying to help wasn't a good thing."

"Oh... sorry, momma..."

~*~*~*~

Mara glanced up from the little discussion she'd been having with Neesta to find Luke standing in the doorway, watching them. She smiled and beckoned him closer. "Come on in. We were chatting a little."

Luke shook his head. "That's all right, Mara. I... don't want to intrude."

Renna glanced from Mara, to Neesta, to Luke, and back again. "Can you see her?"

"Daddy has never seen me," Neesta told her gently. "Not as I am."

Renna stood up and went to stand in front of Luke, studying him, then glanced back at Neesta. "You can't see her? She's standing right there."

Luke shook his head. "No..." He tried to leave, but Renna grabbed his hand, effectively stopping him. "Renna, I..."

"You feel guilty," Renna said, curiosity in her voice and shrewdness in her eyes. "That's why you can't see her."

Luke glanced at Mara, then at the floor. "Does it matter now? Let go of me, Renna."

Mara frowned and moved to take his other hand. She hadn't thought of it that way before. They had talked so much about the kidnapping and everything surrounding it, but by the time Neesta had become visible to her, she hadn't thought about why he wasn't ever able to see her as well. They had a bond, so by all rights he should have been able to see her. Even now, five years later... he couldn't. "You could have told me."

"There wasn't ever time," Luke muttered, wanting desperately to leave even as they led him to the bed, and Mara got him to sit down.

"Well, there's time now," Mara told him. She glanced at Renna. "Thank you for picking up on that. Go see the baby now, all right? I've got him." Renna looked at Neesta, then nodded and left the room. "Neesta? Go visible like you did for Widia."

"I am," Neesta told her.

"Good." Mara turned her attention back to Luke, who now wouldn't meet her eyes. "Look at me, Farmboy."

"It doesn't matter, Mara."

"Yes it does." She waited, and glared at him lovingly when he finally did. "None of it was your fault, remember? Not one part of it."

"I could have found you sooner."

She glanced at Neesta, wondering if the child needed to hear all this, and got her answer when Neesta smiled at her supportively. Of course she needed to hear it. She needed to hear it as much as Luke did. Nodding in silent agreement, Mara returned her attention to Luke. "I know, but it wouldn't have been soon enough, and punishing yourself for something you can not change..."

"What do you mean not soon enough?"

"What do you think I mean?" She looked away from him in thought, then leaned closer so Neesta wouldn't hear. "It's fuzzy, but... I wasn't there that long. At least… I don't think I was."

Luke stared at her, shocked at that revelation. "So..."

"You are not at fault and you have nothing to be guilty of. Do you understand?"

He gazed at her for several long moments before leaning in to kiss her soundly, saying that he understood not in words but through their bond. She offered reassurance and he accepted it gladly and bolstered her with his love. When the kiss ended, he couldn't help but stare at her. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Mara beckoned Neesta closer and smiled at her. "You ready to try patty cake with me again?"

"It's still hard, Momma," Neesta said wryly, not taking her eyes off her father as his head swung around to stare at her.

Luke knew he should have been used to seeing Force ghosts, but this... "Wow."

Mara smiled. "Of course, you could teach him if you want. How did that rhyme go again? Something about a bakers man?"

Neesta smiled and held up her translucent hands. "Hold up your hands, Daddy." Luke hesitantly obliged her. "Elsie taught me how to touch with this. You wanna try?"

"Yes," Luke managed to say.

"Repeat after me, then. Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man..." At the contact, Neesta glanced at her mother, who nodded with a knowing grin, and Neesta smiled back. And then she got up and danced around the room. "I did it! I did it! Momma, I did it!"

Luke blinked at the suddenness of that, and glanced at Mara who was still grinning openly. "Did I miss something?"

"Yes. She did that the first time we touched," Mara told him. "Neesta, you can stop dancing now."

Neesta returned to them and smiled at her father. "I did it and you can see me, and I'm a sister again! And a cousin!"

Mara frowned. "You will not appear in front of Alena again unless I say so, Neesta."

"Of course I won't... Daddy, will you wear the Flowered Robe again?"

Luke shook his head. "No."

"Please?" She poured on the charm and looked at him with doe-like eyes. "Pretty please?"

~*~*~*~*~

Leia wasn't sure what to make of it when she found Luke sitting in the kitchen wearing a flowered robe later that evening. She wasn't even certain she wanted to know what had led to that...

When he noticed her, Luke just smiled. "She begged me to."

"What?"

"The robe. She begged me to."

Without really knowing the details, Leia could only join him at the table and shrug. "Well... it sets off your eyes?"

Luke snorted in laughter. "Thanks, Leia."

~*~*~*~*~

Luke wasn't certain what to think as they stood together in front of the memorial in Theed City. This... was so much to take in all at once. As much as he'd wanted to find out what the answers were, to know the story... why did the answers always seem to breed more questions? Looking at the statue, he felt a deep desire to ask who she'd been. He knew she'd given birth to him, to Leia, but it wasn't the same as knowing the person in life. When Leia took hold of his hand, he glanced at her. At once, he knew he wasn't alone in his wondering. "Thanks."

Leia smiled and looked at the statue again. She'd grown up hearing stories, knowing and believing that Bail Organa was her father and Breha was her mother... in name and heart if not in blood. This... was another piece put in place. A puzzle becoming clearer all the while.

A hand gently took hold of Luke's other hand, and he glanced to find Mara with Ben at her side, smiling at him encouragingly. He smiled back at her, then returned his gaze to the memorial. They'd come here to find her family, and found more than either had expected. There was so much to take in, yes, but now, with Mara at his side, it didn't seem so big...

Eight or nine months later...

Renna stood at the window holding the baby and watched the sky traffic over Imperial City. She'd been here for three months and the sight of the ordered chaos always gave her a sense of calm, as if the constant lines of vehicles were soothing in and of themselves. Glancing back toward the bed, she found Mara smiling at her sleepily and nodded to her. Life had been... odd in these new surroundings since Mara had found her way to their mothers house on Naboo. All the training, the holo-comm calls to Naboo because Samir had stayed to help with more retrofitting, and... just learning to live all over again.

Smiling down at the infant, she began to hum a tune that she'd heard the day before. "Oh there's a story, about a little bantha..."

Life had been odd, yes, but... she wouldn't have had it any other way.

Here ends Obsessed With Flowers...


End file.
